Foodborne illness in Australia: Annual incidence circa 2010

Foodborne illness can result in gastroenteritis (symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting), non-gastrointestinal illness (such as hepatitis), sometimes serious long-term health effects (such as reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome), and occasionally death. Estimating the incidence of foodborne illness is important for the development and prioritising of food safety policy. The National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand and New South Wales Food Authority to estimate illness, hospitalisations and deaths due to foodborne illness using data collected in Australia at or around 2010.

The resultant report Foodborne illness in Australia: Annual incidence circa 2010 is provided below.

• Foodborne illness in Australia: Annual incidence circa 2010 (PDF 1763 KB)
• Foodborne illness in Australia: Annual incidence circa 2010 (Word 630 KB)

Questions and answers fact sheet

The Australian Government Department of Health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand and New South Wales Food Authority have prepared a questions and answers fact sheet to accompany the report Foodborne illness in Australia:  Annual incidence circa 2010.

• Questions and answers fact sheet (PDF 151 KB)
• Questions and answers fact sheet (Word 42 KB)