Bid to reduce food poisoning caused by raw chicken

Food & Safety officers in Swansea are backing a national campaign to halve the number of food poisoning cases in the country linked to raw chicken.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is calling on households to be more responsible when handling raw chicken by following a few simple steps.

It’s estimated that there are around 280,000 cases of food poisoning a year in the UK that are linked to Campylobacter – a germ mostly found on raw chicken.

Campylobacter food poisoning usually develops a few days after eating contaminated food and leads to symptoms that include abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea and, sometimes, vomiting.

In a bid to halve the number of cases, a series of simple rules have been published for anyone preparing or handling raw chicken to help prevent the germ spreading.

Mark Child, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing & Healthy City, said: “Chicken must be one of the most popular meats consumed in this country.

“We want to make sure that families can prepare chicken safely and help reduce the risks of developing food poisoning.”

Nina Purcell Director of the FSA, said: “It’s clear that we all love chicken. We just need to take the time and be even more committed to ensuring we do the little things in the kitchen to keep our loved ones safe.

“If you want your chicken meals to be remembered for the right reasons, follow the FSA’s advice on the recommended safe practices when preparing, cooking and storing chicken.”

Steps to take when handling raw chicken are:

– Bag and store raw chicken separately from other food, covered and chilled on the bottom shelf of the fridge

– Not to wash raw chicken as it splashes germs

– Wash everything that’s touched raw chicken in soap and hot water – your hands and utensils

– Check chicken is cooked properly – no pink meat, steaming hot and the juices run clear