National Food Safety Week
Stay safe this summer
Date of issue: Monday, 6 June 2011
To coincide with National Food Safety Week (6 - 13 June 2011),
Carlisle City Council is reminding local residents about the
importance of good food hygiene in the home.
To help the local community learn more about the simple things
that they can do to keep themselves and their families safe,
Environmental Health Officers will be visiting Sure Start Centres
and various workplaces throughout the Carlisle district to offer
advice. A display stand will also be in the foyer of the Civic
Centre from today (Monday, 6 June) so that members of the public
can get leaflets and advice direct from the Environmental Health
Officers.
Dave Edwards, Assistant Food, Health and Safety Manager at
Carlisle City Council, said
“We want to use Food Safety Week to pass on some
important food hygiene advice and explain for example, why you
really shouldn’t wash poultry and why you shouldn’t eat food past
its ‘use by’ date’.”
Research carried out recently across the UK by the Food
Standards Agency highlighted some of the most common food hygiene
myths. These include:
- ‘Plastic chopping boards are more hygienic than wooden ones.’
Not true, but three in five (60%) of us think it is. Both types of
boards can harbour germs if not cleaned properly after use.
- ‘If you get food poisoning it was from the last thing that you
ate.’ Almost a fifth (19%) of us thinks that this is true. In fact,
for some bugs it can take up to two weeks for symptoms to
develop.
- ‘You need to wash chicken and poultry before you cook it.’ This
is one of the most common misconceptions with two thirds (65%) of
us thinking that this is true. In fact washing chicken can splash
germs around the kitchen. Cooking it thoroughly will be enough to
kill any bacteria that may be present.
- One in ten people questioned believe that if you drop food on
the floor it is safe to eat as long as you pick it up within five
seconds. There is no truth in the ‘five second rule’ or any of its
variations. It there is one place your food is most likely to pick
up bugs, it’s on the floor!
The full set of results from this research can be found at:
www.food.gov.uk/safereating/hyg/germwatch