Australian Food Safety Information Council  The Australian Food Safety Information Council is a health promotion charity. The Council develops consumer-targeted food safety information to address the estimated 4.1 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 31,920 hospitalisations, 86 deaths and 1 million visits to doctors on average every year  The Council was founded in 1997 as the Food Safety Campaign Group and incorporated in 1999 as the Food Safety Information Council It is supported by state and territory health and food safety agencies, local government, and leading professional, industry and community organisations . The Council Chair is Cathy Moir who was appointed in March 2019. Previous Chairs have been Rachelle Williams who was appointed in July 2015, Professor Michael Eyles who was appointed in August 2007 and his predecessor was Professor Tom McMeekin AO  The Food Safety Information Council provides consumer information on the handling, storage and preparation of food. They organize Australian Food Safety Week held during the second week of November each year. The Council also has a role in providing consumer advice on food recalls and emergencies such as the Listeria in rockmelons/canteloupes outbreak in March 2018 and frozen berries Hepatitis A recall in February 2015 They also take part in education events such as 2015 World Health Day which focussed on food safety  As part of its educational activities, the Food Safety Information Council has carried out consumer research into food safety knowledge. It also publicizes the results of food-related research. For example, a study by the Australian National University, published in November 2014, found in 2010 that there were an estimated 4.1 million cases of foodborne disease acquired in Australia on average each year, along with 5,140 cases of non-gastrointestinal illness. The main causes were Norovirus, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp. and non-typhoidal Salmonella spp., although the causes of approximately 80% of illnesses were unknown. A question and answer fact sheet published by the Australian Department of Health together with this study references the Food Safety Information Council's consumer advice as a means of reducing food borne disease Most foodborne disease outbreaks in Australia have been linked to raw or minimally cooked eggs or poultry. The Food Safety Information Council estimates that one third of cases of food poisoning occur in the home  Consumer research released in October 2019, found that more than 20% of Australians admitted that they didn’t always wash their hands after using the toilet and nearly 40% of respondents stated they didn’t always wash before handling food.