Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is running a special Christmas food safety campaign to highlight the risks of food poisoning over the festive season after discovering that 45% of Scots claim to have washed raw poultry, including the Christmas turkey.
Based on the results of a recent survey, FFS also revealed that 58% of Scots are unaware of Campylobacter as a cause of food poisoning.
The organisation’s “Festive Food Safety Campaign” is due to run until December 31, aimed at promoting good hygiene practices in the kitchen, with hand washing and food preparation at its core.
“Good hygiene practices when preparing food are vital to a happy and healthy Christmas,” said FSS Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Norval Strachan, adding that Campylobacter is often found on raw or uncooked meat, particularly poultry.
“Research carried out by FSS shows that washing poultry is a common occurrence in households across the country and the levels of people failing to wash their hands before and after preparing food are still high.”
