Don’t come the raw prawn – warning to keep your seafood safe this Easter

Media release: 23 March 2016

Easter sees the greatest quantity of seafood sold in Australia and the Food Safety Information Council is warning consumers to transport their seafood home from the retailer in a cooler with ice block or ice.

Food Safety Information Council Chair, Rachelle Williams, said that Australia has a well-deserved reputation for high quality and safe seafood.

‘Commercially produced seafood in Australia must adhere to strict quality controls but we also need to keep it safe after purchase,’ Ms Williams said.

The Council has issued 6 tips to reduce your risk of food poisoning from seafood you purchase to help keep it safe this Easter:

1. Only purchase your raw or precooked seafood from a registered seafood supplier and check it is visibly fresh and is displayed chilled
2. Transport your seafood home from the retailer in a cooler with ice blocks or ice sufficient to keep it chilled
3. At home put seafood in the fridge in a covered container and make sure your fridge is running at 5°C or below. Live shellfish should be kept on ice and consumed as soon as possible after shucking.
4. If the seafood is going to be cooked this will kill most bacteria but there could be a risk if it is consumed raw, for example raw oysters, sushi, sashimi. You will need to be particularly careful and hygienic in preparing these raw foods and also handling precooked seafood such as prawns.
5. Raw seafood or cold cooked prawns are not recommended for pregnant women, people with reduced immune systems or the elderly because of the risk of Listeria.
6. Consume prawns and live shellfish as soon as possible after purchase when they are at their best and use other refrigerated seafood within 2 to 3 days.

See more information of seafood safety

Media contact:

Lydia Buchtmann, Food Safety Information Council, 0407 626 688 or info@foodsafety.asn.au