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OzFoodNet - imported foods and foodborne disease in Australia

A recent incident in the United States highlighted the importance of the risks associated with contaminated imported food. In March 2007 it was recognised that imported vegetable proteins, contaminated with melamine, caused the deaths of hundreds of cats and dogs when it was used as an ingredient in pet food. Although this incident only affected pet food, it raised concerns about the safety of the human food supply and resulted in a comprehensive investigation by the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture.

During the years 2001 to 2006, there were 13 foodborne disease outbreaks linked to foods imported into Australia. Salmonella was responsible for 4 outbreaks, viruses were either confirmed or suspected in 6 outbreaks and ciguatoxin, sodium nitrate and Vibrio cholerae were each responsible for an outbreak. Seafood was the most common type of food implicated (62% outbreaks) and sesame seed products caused 23% of the outbreaks. The implicated foods came from various countries, but the majority were produced in Asian nations, reflecting Australia's trading interest within the region.

While the total number of outbreaks associated with imported foods in Australia is low, globalisation of the food supply may result in the introduction of pathogens into countries in which they do not commonly occur. Pathogens that are rare in Australia, Salmonella Typhimurium 104 and V. cholerae, were responsible for 2 of the 13 outbreaks discussed here.

Improvements in international cooperation and standardisation of outbreak investigations across country borders, is required to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease associated with imported foods in Australia. There are several examples of international initiatives underway to improve food safety globally. These include the work of CODEX Alimentarius, the WHO Infosan and the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum.

This article was contributed by OzFoodNet who are responsible for recording summary data for all Australian foodborne disease outbreaks into a national database, the OzFoodNet Outbreak Register. For more information contact:
Martyn Kirk, Coordinating Epidemiologist, OzFoodNet
Tel: +61 2 6289 9010, Email: martyn.kirk@health.gov.au