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FSA looking to name food bug chicken retailers 'quickly'

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will attempt to name the retailers who sell chicken which has tested positive for a food poisoning bug "more quickly" after criticism from a consumer group.

Which? criticised the FSA for not revealing that almost three fifths of fresh shop-bought chicken tested positive for campylobacter but failed to name any retailers who sold it.

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.

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Food bug poses 'minimal risk' to the public

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.

As long as the public continue to follow long standing advice on preparing and cooking chicken, campylobacter poses minimal risk to them - our top priority is the safety of the public and we want people to feel reassured the food they buy is safe.

We continue to work closely with the Food Standards Agency, retailers, processors and farmers to reduce the levels of campylobacter in poultry and we fully support the FSA’s decision to publish a more detailed breakdown of the survey results as soon as they have sufficient data.”

– Department of Health
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FSA looking to name food bug chicken retailers 'quickly'

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