Australians under 34 don’t know enough about how to safely handle food to avoid food poisoning, according to a report card by the Food Safety Information Council.

The 18 to 34 year olds didn’t do as well compared to over 50s on knowledge of food safety, a survey found.

Only 73% of the younger group know to cook hamburgers all the way through compared with 84% for over 50s.

The younger crowd know (87%) to cook sausages all the way, although 93% of the over 50s are masters at the BBQ.

Only half (59%) of the younger group know to refrigerate chicken dishes straight away compared with 72% of over 50s.