Campylobacter: Are We Ignoring The Real Issue?
The Food Standards Agency has released their Publication of Year 4 campylobacter retail chicken survey. The survey has focused on the levels of campylobacter in fresh chickens including levels on the chicken and also the outer packaging.
The FSA has published the Year 4 report for the UK retail chicken survey which took place between August 2017 and July 2018. Samples were collected every quarter but after the first quarter only minor retailers were tested. The UK’s top nine retailers have carried out their own sampling since September 2017.
The report found that high level campylobacter contamination in UK chickens has decreased considerably, but remains high in smaller retailers, independents and butchers.
Rebecca Sudworth, Director of Policy at the Food Standards Agency, said:
"Retailers have achieved significant reductions in levels of campylobacter contamination since the retail chicken survey began in 2014. The FSA will continue to engage with industry and particularly smaller retailers, butchers and independents to build on this progress."
Consumer Advice
Chicken is safe as long as you follow good hygiene and cooking practices:
- Cover raw chicken and store at the bottom of the fridge so juices cannot drip onto other foods and contaminate them with food poisoning bacteria such as campylobacter
- Don’t wash raw chicken - thorough cooking will kill any bacteria present, including campylobacter, while washing chicken can spread germs by splashing
- Thoroughly wash and clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used to prepare raw chicken
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, after handling raw chicken - this helps stop the spread of campylobacter by avoiding cross-contamination
- Make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly and steaming hot all the way through before serving. Cut into the thickest part of the meat and check that it is steaming hot with no pink meat and that the juices run clear
The Real Issue
While it’s important that campylobacter levels are reduced across each step of chicken farming and production, it’s even more important to ensure that the campylobacter on the outside of the packaging is dealt with.
“If a few days later you came down with food poisoning symptoms, how likely are you to suspect the packaging?”
Most people know that raw or undercooked chicken can make you ill, that’s not news, and so after handling raw chicken most people will make sure to wash their hands. Would the same people think to wash their hands after picking up a packaged chicken in their local supermarket or butchers? Furthermore if a few days later you came down with food poisoning symptoms, how likely are you to suspect the packaging might be to blame?
Worse still, the campylobacter on the outside of the packaging can transfer onto ready-to-eat products and even the inside of your bag for life, contaminating it for future use. The Biomaster bag for life offers an antibacterial protection against this campylobacter contamination. For more information on the Biomaster bag for life please click here.
For more detail on the Campylobacter bacteria you can read our comprehensive overview HERE.
What Next?
🔗 Follow us on Social Media, here is our LINK TREE
✉️ See how our additive technology can benefit your business by CONTACTING US
🦠 Find out more about Biomaster Antimicrobial Technology HERE
🎥 Watch our video on how Biomaster works WATCH NOW
📰 Subscribe to our Newsletter - SUBSCRIBE
← Back to blog
