Apparently Australian consumers have really taken to purchasing online, with recently released research by Nielsen (the market research organisation) showing that about nine out of 10 consumers buying online in 2013.

Liquor is the big food group being purchased on line with our buying rate across the internet being twice what is being purchased in store, in terms of dollars spent.

The research has also shown that around 60% of people are using both on line and retail stores for making their purchasing decisions. This highlights why many food related businesses are now actively promoting an estore set up on their websites. It is now at a point that if a food business does not have the facility for customers to make purchases on line, that business will be losing trade.

This raises an interesting question in terms of food safety. Does a business put perishable items on its website for sale and, if so, how is it going to be delivered so it is safe for consumption?

It is worth remembering that if a food business chooses to sell potentially hazardous foods through its website and delivers that food, then this whole process will need to be included within the scope of all future food safety audits.

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Source: http://www.foodsafety.edu.au Written by: Rachelle Williams