Households urged to take care with festive food hygiene after ‘risks’ findings
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The food safety watchdog has urged households to take care over Christmas after finding many are taking “unnecessary and avoidable risks” with festive food. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) found that 45% of people are playing “buffet roulette” by admitting they would be likely to leave food from the fridge out for hours before eating it.
More than a quarter (27%) said they would be likely to store food that should be refrigerated in another cool place such as a garage, porch, or cool box due to a lack of space in the fridge over Christmas. Just under a quarter (23%) said they would be unlikely to ask if their guests have any food allergies or intolerances.
Some 46% said they did not always check use-by dates before cooking or preparing food at home, while 39% admitted that they at least occasionally cook raw meat, such as turkey or sausages, past its use-by date. A third of those surveyed (33%) said they did not always wash their hands before cooking or preparing food at home.
Robin May, chief scientific advisor at the FSA, said: “Don’t be a turkey – our new data shows us that people are taking some unnecessary and avoidable risks in the way they cook, prepare and store food. “Whether your Christmas meal is a chicken for two or a goose for 22, make sure it is cooked until steaming hot all the way through.
“Although we are talking about this in a light-hearted way, there’s a serious message underlying the data. No one likes being ill over the holidays, especially at a time when friends and family come together, including people who are more vulnerable to food poisoning, such as older relatives or those who are pregnant.
