21 August 2014
If you’re aiming to round off a sensational summer with a barbecue, Jersey’s Environmental Health Department and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) have served up some advice to help make it a sizzling and safe success.
With the last long weekend of the summer coming up, even those of us who have been glued to the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games are likely to throw down the TV remote in favour of throwing some food on the barbecue. It means that many of us in command of the barbecue will not be those who are normally in charge in the kitchen.
Raw meat and bacteria
According to UK figures, cases of food poisoning almost double during the summer. Research shows that the undercooking of raw meat and the contamination of bacteria onto the food we eat are among the main reasons.
We all want to protect the health of our family and friends, and the FSA's simple advice shows how we can prepare food safely in advance and cut the risk of spreading those barbecue bugs.
It's important to be vigilant as salmonella and E.coli are well known causes of food poisoning, but you may not be aware that 65% of chicken sold in the UK contains a bug called campylobacter. Campylobacter poisoning can lead to sickness, diarrhoea, disability, and even worse. Those most at risk are children and older people.
Tips for barbequing safely
- pre-cook the meat or poultry in the oven first and then finish it off on the barbecue for flavour
- charred doesn’t mean cooked. Make sure that burgers, sausages, chicken and all meats are properly cooked by cutting into the meat and checking that it is steaming hot all the way through. Make sure that none of it is pink and that any juices run clear
- disposable barbecues take longer to cook meat properly
- always check that meat is cooked right through
- avoid cross-contamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking. Use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food
- don’t wash raw chicken or other meat, it just splashes germs
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