New Zealand is focussing on the food poisoning crimes that happen in homes during Kitchne Crimes Week - 24-28 May.

Some 5.3 million days of work are lost in that country due to food poisoning , which costs New Zealanders around $86 million a year.

A recent study by the New Zealand Food Authority shows that one in four believe that they have had food poisoning in the last two years and that it was due to food eaten away from home.

“But that’s not necessarily the case,” says NZFSA’s principal adviser Roger Cook. “We’re holding Kitchen Crimes Week to remind people that about 40 percent of food poisoning is from kitchen crimes at home.

“The most common crimes are not washing your hands properly and not cleaning your chopping boards between preparing raw meat or poultry and ready-to-eat foods.”

“Most people probably think they are squeaky-clean in the kitchen, but if you take a closer look many of us have to plead guilty to unknowingly committing food crimes in the kitchen,” Roger says.

For more information go to http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/publications/media-releases/2010/2010-05-26-kitchen-crimes-week.htm