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At the recent NSW Environmental Health conference, the Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Food Authority, Dr Lisa Szabo, had some disturbing news…

While the rest of the world appears to be getting Salmonella under control, Australia’s trend is going in the wrong direction.

Salmonellosis rates across the world
Australia’s Salmonella poisoning rate (red) is going the wrong way when compared to other developed countries

Preventing Salmonella poisoning

So what can be done to reverse this trend?

Cooking food

Salmonella bacteria is found in many different places. It is present in many animals, especially chickens, and can be transmitted if the meat from infected animals is not cooked properly. The animals themselves do not appear sick, nor does the meat look or smell unusual.

Cooking meat and eggs over 70°C will destroy the bacteria.

Preventing cross contamination

In kitchens with poor food safety practices, bacteria can be passed from raw meat to ready-to-eat meals via contaminated knives, platters, chopping boards and unwashed hands.

Not using raw eggs

A significant number of Salmonella cases come from raw eggs and raw egg products. In one famous NSW case, 168 people were poisoned by a restaurant’s homemade aioli. A safer alternative is to use commercially produced sauces and dressings. If you must make your own, using pasteurised egg products rather than raw eggs is much safer. Or if you must use raw eggs, make sure the temperature is kept below 5° and add vinegar or lemon juice to make the food too acidic for bacterial growth.

Wash fresh fruit and vegetables

A recent major outbreak of Salmonellosis was attributed to rockmelons. There were 86 cases reported across Australia. Is was thought that washing the rockmelons in dirty water at the farm was the cause of the outbreak. It is a reminder that fruit and vegetables are grown outdoors, transported long distances and handled by many people before they reach your supermarket. They have plenty of opportunity to become contaminated along the way. Always make sure you wash them thoroughly, refrigerate them well and discard any bruised or damaged fruit.

Keep food cool

Temperature sensitive food must be kept out of the Danger Zone – 5° to 60°C. It is vital that all restaurants, takeaways, caterers and food retailers have quality refrigeration and good refrigeration practices to prevent food poisoning.

Refrigerators must be regularly serviced and monitored to make sure they are working efficiently. Food providers must be able to prove that their products have not been exposed to dangerous temperatures.

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.