The Food Standards Agency has today confirmed its plans for publishing the quarterly results from its survey of campylobacter on shop-bought chicken. The FSA will name retailers, alongside campylobacter levels, when it releases its next set of results in November.
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Tagged campylobacter, food standards agency, fsa, quarterly results
The FSA has today published the first set of quarterly results from a new survey of Campylobacter on fresh shop-bought chickens. The results show 59% of birds tested positive for the presence of Campylobacter. In 4% of samples Campylobacter was identified on the outside of the packaging.
Campylobacter is killed by thorough cooking, however, it is the most common form of food poisoning in the UK, affecting an estimated 280,000 people a year. The majority of these cases come from contaminated poultry. Advice for consumers on safe preparation and cooking of chicken can be found at the link below.
Previous studies carried out into the prevalence of Campylobacter have also shown around two thirds of raw poultry carries Campylobacter.
The 12-month survey, running from February 2014 to February 2015, is looking at the prevalence and levels of Campylobacter contamination on fresh whole chilled chickens and their packaging. The survey will test 4,000 samples of whole chickens bought from UK retail outlets and smaller independent stores and butchers. Today’s results are for the first quarter and represent 853 samples.
FoodWorld 