Take the ‘Chicken Challenge’ in Highland urges Environmental Health Officers

People in the Highlands are being invited to take the Food Standards Agency’s Chicken Challenge during Food Safety Week (18 – 23 May).

Up to one third of people are at risk from campylobacter food poisoning during their lifetime. Campylobacter is most frequently found on raw poultry and is the biggest cause of food poisoning in the UK.

The Food Standards Agency has released the figure to mark the start of 2015’s Food Safety Week. The launch of the ‘Chicken Challenge’ is a call to the whole food chain, from industry to consumers, to do their bit to halve the number of campylobacter food poisoning cases by the end of 2015.

Officers from The Highland Council’s Environmental Health Service offer advice to food producers and manufacturers, catering businesses, charity organisations and consumers on food hygiene matters.  This week in particular, Environmental Health Officers want to raise awareness of campylobacter and the simple steps that can be taken to avoid becoming unwell. 

The Food Safety Week ‘Chicken Challenge’ is asking people who eat chicken to promise to take the following steps to protect themselves and their families: 

• store raw chicken separately from other food, covered and chilled on the bottom shelf of the fridge;
• not to wash raw chicken as it splashes germs;
• wash everything that’s touched raw chicken in soap and hot water, including hands and utensils; and
• check chicken is cooked properly until it’s steaming hot throughout with no pink meat and the juices run clear.

You can make the pledge at www.food.gov.uk/chickenchallenge

For further advice on food hygiene and food standards matters contact: The Highland Council Environmental Health Service by phoning 01349 886606 or email env.health@highland.gov.uk.