The FSA is pressing the industry to play its part in reducing the levels of campylobacter contamination at each production stage to as low a level as possible before raw chicken reaches the consumer.

Chicken is safe as long as consumers follow good kitchen practice:

• Cover and chill raw chicken - cover raw chicken and store at the bottom of the fridge so juices cannot drip on to other foods and contaminate them with food poisoning bacteria such as campylobacter;
• Don’t wash raw chicken - cooking will kill any bacteria present, including campylobacter, while washing chicken can spread germs by splashing;
• Wash used utensils - thoroughly wash and clean all utensils, chopping boards and surfaces used to prepare raw chicken. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, after handling raw chicken. This helps stop the spread of campylobacter by avoiding cross contamination.
• Cook chicken thoroughly - make sure chicken is steaming hot all the way through before serving. Cut in to the thickest part of the meat and check that it is steaming hot with no pink meat and that the juices run clear.

You can read our previous coverage here.

Further Reading

You can view the full report by clicking here.