Food Safety Week 2011
Food Safety Week starts today (6 to 12 June) and the Food Standards Agency is exposing some of the most commonly held myths that continue to put us at risk of food poisoning.
The Agency asked more than 2000 people whether they thought a range of statements about food safety were true or false – from the truth about ‘use by’ dates to the infamous ‘five second rule’ for food dropped on the floor.
The research showed that most of us are aware of good hygiene in the kitchen but can still fall foul of some common misconceptions around food safety.
More than a third (37 per cent) of people questioned thought that 'use by' dates are put on food packaging to encourage shoppers to throw it out so they have to buy more.
In reality the 'use by' date is required by law and is an important indicator of how long a food will remain safe to eat.
Other dates that also appear, such as 'best before' and 'sell by' dates, relate to the food’s quality rather than its safety.
One in ten people questioned believe that if you drop food on the floor it is safe to eat as long as you pick it up within five seconds.
Alas there is no truth in the 'five second rule' or any of its variations.
If there is one place your food is most likely to pick up bugs, it’s on the floor.
Other myths highlighted in the research include:
Plastic chopping boards are more hygienic than wooden ones. Not true, but three in five (60 per cent) of us think it is. Both can harbour germs if they aren’t cleaned properly after use.
If you get food poisoning it was from the last thing you ate. Almost a fifth (19 per cent) of those questioned incorrectly thought this was true, but in fact for some bugs it can take up to two weeks for symptoms to develop.
You need to wash chicken and poultry before you cook it. This was one of the most common misconceptions with two thirds (65 per cent) thinking this is true. In fact washing chicken could splash germs around the kitchen. Cooking it thoroughly will be enough to kill any bacteria that may be present.
Bob Martin, a food safety expert at the Food Standards Agency, said:This research shows that many of us still have some misconceptions about how we should store, prepare and cook our food, which could put us at more risk of food poisoning.
Overall it seems that people over the age of 65 are more likely to believe many of these food myths. In particular they are more likely to believe 'use by' dates are there to make you throw food away before you need to, which is worrying as people over 65 who get food poisoning get it more severely than younger people and are more likely to end up in hospital.
Getting food poisoning is pretty miserable but for some people can be very dangerous. There are about a million cases every year and we’re working hard with food producers, processors and retailers to bring that number down.
With Food Safety Week starting today we hope this research will help people think about what they do and better separate fact from fiction in their kitchens. The results also support the findings of our recent 'Food and You' survey which will allow us to compare attitudes and behaviours and how these change over time.
The research questioned a representative sample of 2,245 adults, aged 16 and over, in a random location omnibus survey across the UK. Sixteen statements regarding food safety were put to the respondents, asking whether they believed them to be true or false, or if they didn’t know.
Crabs And Shrimps by Vera Kratochvil