Poultry effort: what not to do when cooking chicken

The Food Safety Information Council recently released worrying national survey data that shows 60 per cent of home cooks in Australia are putting themselves at additional risk of food poisoning by washing whole poultry before it is cooked which spreads bacteria around the kitchen.

A further 16 per cent of those surveyed incorrectly tasted chicken to see if it is cooked properly rather than use a safe and accurate meat thermometer.

Food Safety Information Council Chairman, Dr Michael Eyles, says six in ten home cooks in a national Newspoll survey washed whole chicken before they cooked it, with 5 in 10 washing chicken pieces with skin on and 4 in 10 washing skinless chicken pieces. 

"Chicken is a healthy, convenient meal and is Australia's most popular meat with over 8 out of every 10 cooks choosing chicken.

"Other poultry is also becoming popular with just under half of those surveyed cooking whole turkey and 37 per cent whole duck but these, too, are being washed before cooking, with 68 per cent washing turkey and 74 per cent duck," Dr Eyles said.

According to a Food Standards Australia New Zealand survey 84 per cent of raw chicken carcasses tested positive to the food poisoning bacteria Campylobacter and 22 per cent to Salmonella.

This is similar to the findings of other surveys overseas. Notified cases of illness from Campylobacter and Salmonella in Australia have almost doubled over the last 20 years. OzFoodnet estimates there are approximately 220,000 cases of Campylobacter infection each year with more than 75 per cent transmitted by food and 50,000 cases of Campylobacter infection each year can be attributed either directly or indirectly to chicken meat.

"Home cooks are probably following what their parents or grandparents did in the past by washing poultry, not to mention probably patting it dry with a tea towel. Washing poultry splashes these bacteria around the kitchen cross contaminating sinks, taps, your hands, utensils, chopping boards and foods that aren't going to be cooked like salads or desserts.

"Cooking poultry right through kills these bacteria, making it safe. However, 16 per cent of those surveyed, rather than using a meat thermometer or checking if juices run clear and are no longer pink, say they eat some chicken to see if tastes cooked, with males significantly more likely to do this than females," Dr Eyles concluded.

The theme of Australian Food Safety Week for 2012 is cross contamination. You can reduce the risk of cross contamination from raw poultry by following a number of simple tips, such as: do not wash raw poultry before cooking as this will spread any bacteria throughout your kitchen; always wash and dry hands and clean surfaces after contact with raw poultry; defrost poultry in the fridge or microwave in a container which prevents juices dripping on other food; make sure the raw poultry juices do not contaminate other food, especially food like desserts or salads that won't be cooked again; always use clean plates and utensils and wash and dry thoroughly between using for raw and cooked poultry.

Here are some other tips about reducing your risk of food poisoning through cross contamination: when shopping, ensure raw meat, poultry, and seafood are in plastic bags and kept apart from other foods in your super market trolley, at check out and in your shopping bags; place raw meat, poultry, and seafood in containers or sealed plastic bags in the fridge to prevent their juices from dripping onto other foods; wash and dry hands and surfaces often; and wash hands with soap and hot water and dry thoroughly before and after handling food, and after using the bathroom, changing babies, or handling pets.

Source: Food Standards Australia New Zealand