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If it smells ok it is ok.... well it may not be. The Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland and Safefood in association with Newry & Mourne District Council - have launched a new Kitchen Check tool to help consumers improve their food safety behaviour.
The myth-busting province wide survey revealed misconceptions, about food storage, whether or not food is safe to eat and general cooking and cleaning habits that are confusing consumers and potentially increasing their risk of food poisoning.
The survey, which targeted consumers from the Newry & Mourne District Council area, revealed:
Two thirds of respondents in the Newry & Mourne District Council area incorrectly believe you can tell whether food is safe by the look or smell.
Half incorrectly believe you need to wash poultry before you cook it.
One in eight incorrectly believes the ‘use by date’ is put on foods by retailers so you have to throw them out.
One in eight is unaware that cooked rice can’t be kept as long as other leftovers.
Dr David McCleery, from safefood said: “The survey confirms that many of us still hold misconceptions on how we should store, prepare and cook our food.
“For example, two thirds of consumers believe that you can tell whether food is safe by its look and smell. This is not the case, as potentially dangerous germs like E. coli and Salmonella don’t always make food smell 'off' and do not affect the appearance of food.
“Instead, we would urge people to stick to the ‘use by’ date and storage instructions on the packet.”
In response to these myths the new Kitchen Check tool provides a step-by-step guide to the ‘dos and don’ts’ in the family kitchen.
These include not washing raw meat or poultry, fridge storage tips, advice on best cleaning practices and how to ensure that food is properly cooked.
Debbie Sharpe from the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland said: “The survey results show that most of us are aware of good hygiene in the kitchen, but can still fall foul of some common misconceptions around food safety.
For example, two thirds of consumers believe you need to wash poultry before you cook it. This is a myth and by doing so consumers risk spreading harmful bacteria around their kitchen.”
“The Kitchen Check tool aims to dispel the confusion by helping to reassure the consumer that they are handling and preparing foods at home safely by replacing myths with facts.”
A spokesperson from Newry & Mourne District Council, said: “We are delighted to work in association with the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland and safefood to deliver this year’s Food Safety Week.
The Food Check will provide our Environmental Health Officers with a useful resource to help educate people on the ‘dos and don’ts’ of good food hygiene in the home.”
Food Safety Week runs from the 10th to16th June in Northern Ireland and is organised in partnership with local councils, the FSA in NI and safefood.
For more information on Food Safety Week and to download the Kitchen Check tool visit: www.food.gov.uk or www.safefood.eu.
How Well would you get on in the Food safety Quiz?
Q1. True or False: If food looks ok and smells ok it’s safe to eat
A. False – it’s a myth
Although a bad smell or taste are signs that food has ‘gone off’, these signs often aren’t caused by germs that give you food poisoning. So the food’s appearance, smell or taste aren’t reliable warning signs. Instead, stick to the ‘use by’ date and storage instructions on the packet.
Q2. True or False: Eating food after the ‘best before’ date won’t hurt
A. True – it’s a food safety fact
'Best before' dates are about food quality not safety. They are usually found on food that lasts a long time. If food has passed its 'best before' date it doesn't mean it’s unsafe, but it might have started to lose its colour, flavour or texture.
Q3. True or False: ‘Use by’ dates are there to make you buy more
A. False – it’s a myth
A 'use by' date tells you how long food will stay safe. They have to be put on food that ‘goes off’ quickly – and they aren’t just guesswork, the dates are worked out by scientific testing. Don’t be tempted to eat food after the 'use by'.
Q4. True or False: You don’t need to wash raw chicken before you cook it
A. True – it’s a food safety fact
Although most raw meat will have some germs on it, washing won’t get rid of them. In fact, washing is more likely to spread germs around the kitchen. Little splashes of water can contaminate you, your worktops and anything else in the way. Thorough cooking is the only way to get rid of these nasty germs.
Q5. True or False: If you’ve got a ‘dodgy’ stomach it’s usually from the last thing you ate
A. False – it’s a myth
It’s natural to suspect the thing you ate most recently would be the cause of food poisoning, but that isn’t always the case. Symptoms usually take between one and three days to develop, so it won’t necessarily be from the last thing you ate.
Q6. True or False: Most food poisoning is from ‘dodgy’ restaurants and takeaways
A. False – it’s a myth
There’s no specific evidence that food eaten out is more likely to cause food poisoning than food prepared at home, but it’s easier blame someone else. The habits we pick up from friends and family don’t always ensure food is produced safely at home. As well as expecting good hygiene standards when eating out, we should.
Q7. True or False: Food poisoning isn’t serious, it’s just an upset stomach
A. False – it’s a myth
Although most cases of food poisoning are mild and last only a day or two, some can be far more serious, even deadly. Thankfully this is rare, but with more than a million cases of food poisoning each year, twenty thousand of which require hospital treatment, every case is worth avoiding. Avoid food poisoning by remembering the simple 4Cs for good food hygiene: cleaning, cooking, chilling and cross-contamination.
Q8. True or False: Steak’s ok rare – as long as the outside is brown
A. True – it’s a food safety fact
Steak is safe to eat ‘rare’. Whole cuts of beef or lamb, such as steaks, cutlets and joints only have germs on the outside, so as long as the outside is fully cooked any germs will be killed. But this isn’t true for poultry, pork, burgers and sausages, these must be cooked all the way through.
Q9. True or False: It’s best to serve burgers pink in the middle
A. False – it’s a myth
Unlike steaks, burgers and sausages are made from meat that has been minced, so germs will be spread throughout the product and not just on the surface. This means these products need to be properly cooked all the way through. To check if a burger is done, cut into the thickest part and check.
Q10. True or False: Cooked rice can’t be kept as long as other leftovers
A. True – it’s a food safety fact
Leftover cooked rice is fine to eat as long as it gets cooled and refrigerated quickly after cooking and eaten within 24 hours. This is because rice can contain a particularly tough type of bacteria that can survive heating. Most other leftovers are safe to eat up to two days after cooking. Always reheat leftovers until steaming hot and do not reheat more than once.
