FSA looking to name food bug chicken retailers 'quickly'

The campylobacter food bug poses a "minimal risk" to the public if they follow long standing advice on the preparation and cooking of chicken, according to the Department of Health.

Waitrose would be "very happy" for results on chicken which has tested positive for a food poisoning bug to be made public, once a full year of data is available.

In response to the FSA-report into the bug, a spokesperson said: "Results for individual retailers have not been disclosed as full year results will be available early next year."

They added: "We're very happy for our results to be made public when there is a full year of data available."

They also recommended that customers follow the advice from the Food Standards Agency on campylobacter.

The campylobacter food bug is an "industry wide issue" according to Morrisons supermarkets.

In response to the FSA-report into the bug, a spokesperson said: "This is an industry issue and not a retailer specific one and as all retailers broadly share the same limited supply base, this raises a challenge to any discrepancy in results between retailers if the supplier is the same."

They added that their packaging on our chicken products features guidance on not washing raw meat and washing hands after handling raw meat. They are also going to rebrand their packaging to include the message: "Do Not Wash Poultry Before Cooking."

Preparing and cooking chicken properly is the best way to for people to ensure that their poultry is safe to eat, according to The Cooperative supermarket group.

In response to the FSA-report into the bug, a spokesperson said: "No retailer can claim to be campylobacter free. However, if consumers follow the preparation and cooking guidelines they can be certain that their poultry is safe to eat."

They added: "All raw meats may contain naturally occurring food poisoning organisms and it is important that raw meat products are handled with care and thoroughly cooked as this destroys these bacteria."

They also advised that consumers wash their hands after handling raw meats and the packaging and too keep raw meats away from ready to eat foods.

Supermarket giant Tesco is "working hard" with suppliers and the food industry on solutions to reduce the campylobacter food poisoning bug.

In response to the FSA-report into the bug, they said: "We have thorough cleaning routines to maintain the highest standards in our stores and all our farms and processors meet stringent industry requirements for hygiene."

They added: "Tesco is working hard in partnership with our suppliers and the industry to find solutions to reduce campylobacter in raw poultry."

While their advice states that their is no need to wash the chicken before cooking they do recommend that customers wash their hands and utensils thoroughly after contact with raw meat.

Campylobacter is killed by thorough cooking, but is the most common form of food poisoning in the UK, affecting an estimated 280,000 people a year, and the majority of these cases come from contaminated poultry.

Read: A chef's top tips on how to prepare and cook chicken

The Food Standards Agency will attempt to name the retailers who sell chicken which has tested positive for a food poisoning bug "more quickly" but releasing that information now "could mislead consumers", the food watchdog said.

Read: How to cook chicken 'to prevent food poisoning'

Britain's Food Standards Agency has discovered very high levels of a dangerous food poisoning bug in fresh chickens.

Some 59% contained campylobacter - in fact just by touching the packs you can be exposed - while 4% of the birds had traces outside the packaging.

I've checked the officials pledges and back in March they promised that they "intended to release the full results, including the names of the retailers and processors", yet they have not given shoppers this vital information.

Read: How to cook chicken 'to prevent food poisoning'

The food industry is looking at ways to prevent fresh chicken from being contaminated by the bug campylobacter.

Improved biosecurity on farms, rapid surface chilling, and anti-microbial washes, were all being considered, FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said:

• Cover and chill raw chicken - Cover raw chicken and store in the bottom of the fridge. This will prevent juices dripping on other foods and stop campylobacter contaminating other food.
• Don't wash raw chicken - Washing is not enough to get rid of campylobacter. Cooking will any bacteria present, where washing can splash germs around the kitchen.
• Wash used utensils - Chopping boards, surfaces and all utensils need to be cleaned before the chicken is prepared.
• 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.

Read: FSA urged to 'name retailers selling food bug chicken'

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have come under fire from a consumer watchdog for keeping back the names of retailers believed to be selling chicken carrying a food poisoning bug.

Read: Asda recalls curried chicken

Which? called for sellers to be named and shamed after the FSA found almost three fifths of fresh shop-bought chickens had the bug campylobacter.

The food poisoning bug was found in 59% of the birds tested by the FSA and identified outside of the packaging in a further 4% of the samples.

The survey will test 4,000 samples of whole chickens bought from UK retail outlets and smaller independent stores and butchers. The new results are for the first quarter and represent 853 samples.

The FSA said that previous studies carried out into the prevalence of the bug had also shown around two thirds of raw poultry carries it.

Read: Supermarkets horsemeat scare