Eating seafood is a delicious and nutritious choice but, like many foods, it comes with certain risks.
As part of Australian Food Safety Week this week, the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) is urging seafood consumers to 'keep it nice, put it on ice'.
IMAS is reinforcing this critical message through their collaborative research project SafeFish to highlight the importance of safe seafood consumption, alongside the Food Safety Information Council's Australian Food Safety Week theme 'look before you cook – read the food labels'.
"There's a lot of benefits to eating seafood but as with all food, there are a few risks. The risks are easy to avoid if you just take a commonsense approach," IMAS researcher Dr Alison Turnbull said.
"The good thing about seafood is that the actual illness statistics associated with seafood in Australia are really low, and the benefits are really high. But while it is low, there are some hazards that we need to watch out for.
"For example, Listeria is a bug that is found in foods like soft cheese, prepared salads, raw (including smoked) seafood, and deli meats," she said.
"For most people it's not a problem, but if you're immunocompromised, elderly or pregnant, then it can be an issue. In Australia there are deaths every year associated with Listeria in immunocompromised people, and they should avoid these foods."
Dr Turnbull said the key thing for consumers to remember when buying seafood, as with any meat, is to make sure it is kept refrigerated. This slows pathogen growth and preserves your products' quality.
"Especially with the festive season coming up, it's important to look after the seafood you have purchased in order to keep it safe. Don't go and buy something from your fishmonger and leave it in a hot car for 30 minutes because heat increases the spoilage rate and encourages growth of some pathogens," she said.
"Some consumers like their seafood slightly undercooked, which under certain circumstances can be a risky practice. It is safer to make sure you seafood is properly cooked through."
With more packaged fish on supermarket shelves, Dr Turnbull said it's important to read labels properly. "We want consumers to take notice of cooking instructions and allergen notices. Seafood is one of those products where there will be people that are allergic to some seafood proteins. Seafood products will have allergen notices on them if they're packaged."
SafeFish is a research project funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Australian seafood industry, and run by IMAS and the South Australian Research and Development Institute. Visit SafeFish for seafood food safety facts and information on seafood food safety research.
Cover image: seafood platter.
Credit: Alison Turnbull
