Date Published: 7 December 2006

Wash your hands, not your bird - Christmas Dinner

With apologies to our many vegetarian and vegan readers (...surf on to the next page now !), here is some seasonal Christmas poultry cooking advice from safefood, the Irish equivalent of the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA). In reply to concerns that the following may be interpreted as promotion of eating turkey at Christmas, we'd like to point out that not only is the following health and safety advice intended to help avoid the discomfort of food poisoning, but it also highlights the risks and contamination issues associated with eating poulty - at any time. We wish all our visitors a healthy, happy, and enjoyable Festive Season. - Ed.

safefood issues seasonal reminder to consumers

As part of its Christmas campaign, safefood issued food safety advice urging consumers NOT to wash their Christmas bird before placing it in the oven. Research has shown that bacteria such as Campylobacter, which is present in 4 in 10 turkeys, can spread through splashes if washed and can survive for three days or more on work surfaces or other food.

Dr. Thomas Quigley, Director, Scientific and Technical, safefood said,

“ Consumers should be more concerned about washing their hands, than rinsing poultry under the tap, which does little to reduce the number of germs on the surface of poultry. By simply placing the bird directly onto a roasting tray and straight into the oven, consumers can significantly reduce the risk of cross contamination in the kitchen”.

In a survey conducted by safefood, 3 out of 4 consumers said they were unaware that poultry should not be washed before placing in the oven.

A recent study, conducted by the University of Limerick showed that when preparing chicken, Campylobacter was detected on 36% of draining boards, 18% of oven handles, 27% of hands and 27% of counter tops. Proper cooking is the only way to kill any bacteria that are present on raw turkey.

“ The importance of hand washing is often underestimated and research has shown that 40% of diarrhoeal illnesses can be prevented by hand washing. Failure to implement good food safety behaviour including handwashing during food preparation can result in contamination of food and the kitchen itself ”, continued Dr. Quigley.

“ By washing your hands after handling raw food you can really reduce the risks of getting food poisoning, helping to make it a safe and happy Christmas”, he added.

So the message is clear for consumers this Christmas, wash your hands, not the bird.

Further food safety information and a copy of the leaflet “A safe and healthy Christmas with safefood” is available from www.safefood.eu or by calling the safefood helpline on 1850 40 45 67 (TElephone No. in Republic of Ireland).

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. The views stated in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by safefood (Ireland) on 7 December 2006 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website using the link below.