Raw chicken can contain various forms of bacteria, including salmonella and campylobacter right?
Washing raw chicken before cooking can wash away that bacteria, right?
NOT SO FAST!
Changing the way people prep chicken could cut down on food poisoning. Proper cooking kills the bacteria anyway and washing only spreads contamination!
Last year’s viral video has become a government-backed public-health campaign in the UK. Launched in Mid June.
Just like the video from Drexel University that went viral last summer, the UK is trying to get people to stop washing raw chicken because bacteria is likely to splatter all over the kitchen.
Find out what's happening in Ramseyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“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,” FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said in a press release. The FSA is the British Food Standards Agency. “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.”
A survey from the FSA showed that while a full 90% of Brits are familiar with salmonella and E. coli, but just 28% of people have heard of Campylobacter. Meanwhile, an estimated 280,000 infections occur in the U.K. annually.
Find out what's happening in Ramseyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Although the FSA’s nearly four-minute long video about the dangers of the bacteria will surely scare some people off washing chicken, it has yet to reach 11,000 views. According to the FSA, 44% of people turn on the tap while prepping poultry. The agency’s request that production companies not show chefs committing this food safety sin on cooking shows could have more of an effect on public behavior, even if people never learn that they’re keeping Campylobacter at bay.
For More Information:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/08/27/washing-chicken-gross
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/06/18/uk-dont-wash-chicken-campaign?cmpid=foodinc-fb