Media release

From: Food Safety Information Council

It’s September and Spring has well and truly sprung! So, the Food Safety Information Council is recommending that consumers check out their pantries, fridges and freezers and give them a good Spring clean.

Council Chair, Dr Scott Crerar said that it’s all too easy to find ancient packets of food at the back of the pantry, something mouldy among the stock on a fridge shelf, or strange lumps of food at the bottom of the freezer.

‘Spring is a great time to check out your pantry, fridge or freezer and to build some new food safety habits that can also save you money, following these simple tips:

1. Rotate your food. When you unpack your shopping put the newer products at the back of the fridge or pantry so you’re more likely to use the older, especially open products at the front first.
2. Check carefully the use by dates. You may be able to make savings by buying food, especially meat, close to its use by date. Just remember to use or freeze the food before its use by date.
3. ‘Best before dates’ mean just that: the food will be of best quality before that date but can be eaten after then, although it may have lost some nutrition or quality. Some very long-life foods, such as cans, typically do not have an expiry date as they have a shelf-life in excess of two years, and are likely consumed before they undergo any loss in quality. However, cans with any swelling, dents, leakage or rusting should be discarded.
4. Your freezer is your friend. Avoid food waste. Leftovers can be frozen in smaller portions to make a further, quick meal, or taken for lunch. Divide your meat or poultry into smaller recipe-sized portions, put in a in a freezer bag, removing any air, and freeze. Wash any fruit and vegetables and blanch in boiling water briefly before freezing. Beat eggs in small portions or freeze separated yolks and whites. Even milk and grated or whole blocks of cheese can be frozen. Seek out advice on other foods that may be suitable for freezing.
5. Cheaper meat is just as tasty. If you are moving to more economic cuts of meat such as mince, sausages, rolled roasts, liver and other offal and chicken, remember to use a meat thermometer to check if cooked to at least 75°C in the centre.
6. Seasonal fruit and veg. Look for fruit and vegetables that are in season as they are often cheaper and taste their best. Many retailers offer a cheaper price on fruit and veg that don’t look perfect. Minor blemishes aren’t a safety risk but don’t purchase green or sprouting potatoes which can contain toxins. You can extend life of fruit and veg by preservation or fermentation, but it’s critical that you follow exactly recipes from reputable sources, or severe food poisoning can result.

‘Finally, Australian Food Safety Week is coming up 8 to 15 November 2025 with the theme ‘Don’t swallow the myth – food safety myth busting’. Our resources of social media tiles, printable posters, web and email banners as well as a sample media release and online quiz are now available to download from our website

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