Washing raw chicken can lead to food poisoning

Washing raw chicken before it is cooked
may cause food poisoning, health experts
have warned.
More than two-fifths of people wash
chicken when they prepare food, but the
Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised
that the practice can spread bacteria on to
hands, work surfaces, clothing and
cooking equipment through splashed
water.
Food poisoning is most commonly caused
by the campylobacter bacteria, and affects
more than 280,000 people in the UK each
year.
Four out of every five cases are caused by
contaminated chicken, according to the
FSA -  the independent government
department responsible for food safety
and hygiene in the UK.
While most people suffer relatively
manageable symptoms including
abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea and
vomiting, food poisoning can sometimes
lead to more significant health problems.
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“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,” said FSA chief
executive Catherine Brown.
She added that 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.
"We are leading a campaign that brings
together the whole food chain, which
includes working with farmers and
producers to reduce rates of
campylobacter in flocks of broiler
chickens and ensuring that
slaughterhouses and processors are taking steps to minimise the level of bacteria in raw chicken she said