Washing chicken 'spreads infection'

[Terpe]

Consumers are being warned to stop washing raw chicken as doing so increases the risk of food poisoning.

An online survey of 4,500 UK adults by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) found 44% washed chicken before cooking.

But it warns this spreads campylobacter bacteria onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment, through the splashing of water droplets.

Campylobacter affects about 280,000 people in the UK each year but only 28% in the FSA survey had heard of it.

Only a third of them knew that poultry was the main source of the bacteria.

However 90% had heard of salmonella and E. coli.

The most commonly cited reasons for washing chicken were to remove dirt or germs, or because they had always done it.

Cross-contamination

Campylobacter is the most common form of food poisoning in the UK.

The majority of cases come from contaminated poultry.

Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pains and cramps, fever, and generally feeling unwell.

Most people are only ill for a few days, but it can lead to long-term health problems, including irritable bowel syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious condition of the nervous system.

It can also kill. Those most at risk are children under five and older people.

FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said: "Although people tend to follow recommended practice when handling poultry, such as washing hands after touching raw chicken and making sure it is thoroughly cooked, our research has found that washing raw chicken is also common practice.

"That's why we're calling on people to stop washing raw chicken and also raising awareness of the risks of contracting campylobacter as a result of cross-contamination.

"Campylobacter is a serious issue. Not only can it cause severe illness and death, but it costs the economy hundreds of millions of pounds a year as a result of sickness absence and the burden on the NHS."

She said the FSA was also working with farmers and producers to try to reduce the rate of campylobacter in broiler chicken flocks and with slaughterhouses and processors to minimise the levels of contamination in birds.

Chicken preparation advice

- Cover and chill raw chicken
- Store it at the bottom of the fridge to prevent juices dripping onto other foods
- Don't wash raw chicken
- Thoroughly wash all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used while preparing raw chicken
- Cook chicken thoroughly - there should be no pink meat and juices should run clear

Source

[Dedworth]

More nonsense from the nanny state

[Terpe]

More nonsense from the nanny state

Makes sense to me anyway

[Dedworth]

I fall into this group as I'm sure my parents and grandparents did :-

"The most commonly cited reasons for washing chicken were to remove dirt or germs, or because they had always done it."

I don't think I'll be changing the habit of a lifetime

[les_taxi]

Easy shove it in washing machine on boil wash. Result is not only clean chicken but it's cooked too.

[Dedworth]

Easy shove it in washing machine on boil wash. Result is not only clean chicken but it's cooked too.

Great idea Les - one or two caps of comfort depending on your taste

[grahamw48]

I buy frozen breast meat only, then cook it (and all other meat) till it is thoroughly dead, and everything on it.

[les_taxi]

Where the conditioners go you can add the Paxo stuffing.

[Doc Alan]

The FSA ( Food Standards Agency ) is supposedly an independent food safety watchdog which is accountable to Parliament through health ministers and to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It has at times appeared to be a " Fundamentally Supine Agency " - to food companies and large retailers – so understandably seen by some as part of the “ nanny state “.



The FSA online survey claimed " 44% " washed chicken before cooking ; " 280,000 " in the UK affected each year by campylobacter ; and " 28% " had heard of these bacteria. All of these are improbably precise figures . Most people with food poisoning in the UK get better without treatment ( and without precise diagnosis ).


The risks of food poisoning need to be kept in perspective, in my opinion. Most chickens do carry campylobacter ( without being ill ), but so also do pigs, cattle, and some household pets like dogs.



It’s common sense to store and prepare food properly, but there are limits ! A pack of chicken may contain campylobacter on the outside ; so trolley handles, shopping bags and other foods may be at risk ; then work surfaces, clothing, cooking equipment, fridges, microwaves, and dish towels may all be contaminated. Food poisoning is not as common as might be expected from these dire warnings .


While restaurants and takeaways get much of the blame for food poisoning, most cases are contracted at home ; the cause is not usually proven ; and there’s some evidence that without exposure in early life there are more allergies and less resistance to infections in later life.



There are MANY causes of food poisoning apart from campylobacter (http://www.patient.co.uk/health/food...ning-in-adults ).



The situation is also very different in other countries such as the Philippines. Campylobacter is a possible cause there, as shown in a recent study from Nueva Ecija (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24795322 ).


However, there are far more serious conditions to be considered for either travellers to, or those living in, the Philippines. They may be vaccine-preventable or treatable, such as cholera ; amoebiasis ( the young son of a Forum member was recently successfully treated for this ) ; and ( bacillary ) dysentery.



Symptoms may not appear until after returning to the UK – your doctor needs to know of any recent foreign travel !


The topic is covered here :-

# 8 in http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....to-Philippines ;


and here :-

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....he-Philippines.

[Dedworth]

Good reasoned points Doc

[Doc Alan]

Good reasoned points Doc

Thanks Ded I appreciate ANY response to my posts .

[Dedworth]

Thanks Ded I appreciate ANY response to my posts .

I saw a documentary recently about campylobacter and it came across that there are generally untold scare stories around - as you say it needs to be kept in perspective. I smile at the FSA they're very good at issuing dire warnings but seem to come up short actually nabbing the scammers and purveyors of rotten, contaminated and adulterated food. IIRC it was the Irish who spotted the equine quarter pounders