Did you think it was safer to wash your poultry before cooking it? " False ! “, retorts the British Food Safety Agency (FSA), which on Monday launched an appeal to the population to ask them to stop this practice.
And for good reason:this little shower promotes the spread of germs, and in particular the Campylobacter bacterium.
If you're used to poultry baths in the sink, rest assured, you're not the only one going astray. According to the FSA, 44% of Britons always wash chicken with water before cooking it. This is how each year, 280,000 Britons are affected by it, and it is four times out of five due to poultry, underlines the FSA.
Because Campylobacter, which can be found on chicken skin, contaminates about 75% of carcasses, says a report from the European Food Safety Authority. And with splashes of water, it can spread on hands, utensils, the work surface or even clothes.
This bacterium is responsible for intestinal infections that are generally mild, but which can be fatal in very young children, the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, warns the World Health Organization (WHO).
So, to effectively eliminate Campylobacter, simply cook the poultry without washing and wash your hands before touching anything.
