Food-borne illnesses now pose one of the greatest threats to the health of Australians, warns a communicable diseases expert.
Changes to the way food is grown and distributed across the globe have been blamed for the increased risk of serious illness from the consumption of contaminated food.
Dr Paul Armstrong, chairman of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia, rated food-borne illness among the top three infectious disease threats to Australians, alongside emerging infectious disease and the rise of antimicrobial resistance.
"It comes with globalisation and the change in the way we grow food and the way the food gets to our plate," Dr Armstrong said.
"We have an ongoing problem with salmonella infections linked with chickens, particularly eggs."
Another major issue, he said, was the amount of food being imported from countries with lower hygiene and sanitation standards.
The serious threat of food-borne illnesses was highlighted when more than 30 people across Australia contracted hepatitis in February and March after consuming the same brand of frozen berries.
The federal government is reviewing country-of-origin labelling in response to the scare.
Dr Armstrong said emerging infectious disease, such as a new strain of influenza, was another major threat to people's health because the consequences could be "catastrophic".
Antimicrobial resistance posed a serious threat as there were now diseases that are resistant to antibiotics, he said.
Infectious disease threats are being discussed in detail at a Communicable Disease Control Conference in Brisbane this week.
The biennial conference features addresses from communicable disease experts and practitioners from around Australia and abroad.
