Why HOT?

For too long now, it has been far too easy to make unhealthy choices when eating out or taking away. HOT helps food outlets to provide you with a variety of delicious food choices which have everything you're looking for- great taste, great value for money and convenience. They just happen to be great for your body as well. Great Choices Made Easy!

About Tasmanians' health

• Diet-related diseases affect many Tasmanians and their families.

• Heart disease is still our biggest killer and the death rate from heart disease in Tasmania is higher than in the rest of Australian states. (National Health Survey, Aus. Bureau of Statistics/ Commonwealth Dept. Health and Family Services, 1995).

• Our cancer rate is also above the national average. (National Health Survey, Aus. Bureau of Statistics/ Commonwealth Dept. Health and Family Services, 1995)

• Recent research has shown that a significant proportion of Tasmanians (about one quarter) either have diabetes or are at high risk of developing diabetes. (The Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Survey, International Diabetes Institute, 2000)

• In addition, we are all too familiar with the fact that about ½ of women and about 2/3 of the men in Tasmania are overweight or obese (National Nutrition Survey ABS/ DHFS, 1995).

About Tasmanians' eating habits

The National Nutrition survey 1995 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997) found:

• Tasmanians have a low fruit intake: - only 38% of Tasmanian adults reported consuming the recommended 2 serves or more of fruit per day.

• Tasmanians have a low vegetable intake: - only 18% of Tasmanian adults reported consuming 4 or more serves of vegetables per day. The National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines recommends 5 or more servings per day.

• 1 in 3 children under 12 did not eat fruit or fruit products on the day prior to the survey and more than 1 in 5 children under 12 did not eat vegetables on the day prior to the survey.

• Tasmanian adults had the highest mean intake of fats and oils added to food before eating, in Australia

• Tasmanians had the lowest mean intake of plain drinking water and mineral waters in Australia.

• The survey suggests 8 out of 10 children aged 2-18 aren't consuming the recommended serves of dairy products.

• Eat Well Tasmania surveys confirm that many Tasmanians are not consuming enough fruits and vegetables.

Australians are eating out or taking away more often

• at least 1/3 of the total food budget is spent on food eaten away from home and this figure is increasing

• the 2000 Eat Well Tasmania survey of approximately 800 people found that over 1/3 (39%) of respondents had eaten food prepared away from home on the day prior to interview and that 40% of these had purchased the food from a corner store or takeaway.

About Food Safety and Hygiene in Australia

The Australia New Zealand Food Authority estimates:

• 11,500 people get food poisoning every day

• 4.2 million people get food poisoning every year

• the rate of food borne illness is 220 cases per 1000 (higher than estimated figures from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

• food borne illness costs the community $ 2.6 billion a year

• Average cost of $630 per case (includes direct and indirect costs)

• Costs of food borne illness include medical care, investigations, loss of productivity, emotional loss, loss of business and legal action.

• a cut of 20% in food borne illness would save Australia over $ 500 million a year

• Around 60-80% of food borne illness arises from the food service industry

• Estimates are used as reliable data is not available on actual incidence of food borne illness in Australia as it is estimated that less than 1% of cases is captured in existing notification schemes.

About Passive Smoking

• Passive smoking is the inhalation of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS). ETS is a combination of sidestream smoke emitted directly from burning cigarettes, pipes and cigars and exhaled mainstream smoke.

• Sidestream smoke, which drifts from the end of the cigarettes, is potentially more deadly than the mainstream smoke inhaled by the smoker. It contains some 4,000 chemicals including poisons such as Acetone (paint stripper), Toluene (industrial solvent), Arsenic (white ant poison), DDT (insecticide) carbon monoxide (poisonous gas in car exhausts) and other poisons.

• The 1997 National Health and Medical Research Council Scientific Report found that:

  • Children exposed to ETS are about 40% more likely to suffer from asthma symptoms than children who are not exposed.
  • ETS contributes to the symptoms of asthma in 46,500 children annually.
  • Children exposed to ETS in the first 18 months of life have a 60% increase in the risk of developing lower respiratory illnesses such as croup, bronchitis and pneumonia.
  • An estimated 13% of lower respiratory illnesses in Australian children under 18 months of age (16,300 cases per year) is attributable to passive smoking.
  • Never-smokers who live with a smoker have a 30% increased risk of developing lung cancer.
  • The risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease is about 24% higher in never-smokers who live with a smoker.

• Employees and the general public in food establishments such as take-Aways, cafes, restaurants and other food outlets where smoking is not restricted, would be exposed to ETS released by the employees and patrons (either dining in or waiting to be served) who smoked.

• During the last decade, passive smoking has become the subject of increasing legal action. Employers have been successfully sued for ill health caused by passive smoking.

• Most State and Territory Governments have introduced legislation to protect employees and the public customers from ETS.

For more information, see the QUIT Tasmania website.