Have a sizzling, and safe barbecue

If you’re planning to celebrate a possible sunny weekend with a barbecue, Jersey’s Environmental Health Department and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) have served up some advice to help make it a sizzling and safe success.

When the sun makes an appearance, even those of us who have been glued to Euro 2016 and Wimbledon are likely to throw down the TV remote in favour of chucking some food on the barbecue.

But many of us in command of the barbecue aren’t the ones usually in charge in the kitchen. Cases of food poisoning almost double during the summer, and research shows that the undercooking of raw meat and the contamination of bacteria on to the food we eat are among the main reasons. 

We all want to protect the health of our family and friends, and the FSA’s simple advice shows how we can prepare food safely in advance and cut the risk of spreading barbecue bugs. 

The FSA message is that you can be safety-conscious and sensational all at the same time. Top tips include:

• Pre-cook the meat or poultry in the oven first and then finish it off on the barbecue for flavour
• Charred doesn’t mean cooked  - make sure that burgers, sausages, chicken and all meats are properly cooked by cutting into the meat and checking that it is steaming hot all the way through, that none of it is pink and that any juices run clear
• Disposable barbecues take longer - always check that your meat is cooked right through
• Avoid cross-contamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking, use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food
• Don’t wash raw chicken or other meat, it just splashes germs

Why it’s important

You may have heard of salmonella and e.coli, which are well known causes of food poisoning, but you may not be aware that 65 per cent of chicken sold in the UK contains a bug called campylobacter*. 

Campylobacter poisoning can lead to sickness, diarrhoea, disability, and even worse. Those most at risk are children and older people.

If you want your barbecue to be remembered for the right reasons, follow the FSA’s advice on beating the barbecue bugs.

Find out more about the FSA’s top tips at: https://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/campaigns/barbecue