The latest European report on foodborne infectious diseases is a timely reminder of the heightened risk of food poisoning at this time of year. No one wants a dose of gastroenteritis to ruin their Christmas or New Year; however the bacterium Campylobacter, which is mostly found in chicken and turkey meat, remains the most commonly reported foodborne disease in the European Union. Almost 237,000 confirmed cases in 2014 represents a 10 per cent increase compared with 2013.
Cases of salmonella poisoning increased slightly year on year and there was a 16 per cent jump in infections with the microbe Listeria monocytogenes, which has the highest death rate of all foodborne diseases. Older people and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk from listeriosis. The report, compiled by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is based on data collected by 28 EU member states and four non-member states.
Although salmonella grabs the headlines, campylobacter, which lives in the guts of poultry without causing the bird any harm, can cause an unpleasant dose of gastroenteritis if ingested by humans. Prevention is key as outlined recently by Dr Gary Kearney, director of Food Science with Safefood.
Do not wash defrosted raw turkey as water splashes carry campylobacter thereby contaminating other surfaces and nearby food. Thorough cooking kills the bug; make sure the juices run clear and have a zero tolerance for undercooked pink meat. A common pitfall, as diners and cooks doze after a large festive meal, is to leave the remainder of the turkey sitting in the warm kitchen. After 2 hours campylobacter will multiply on the carcass; promptly cutting the remaining meat off the bone and placing it in a fridge or freezer will eliminate the risk of infection.
Hippocrates sagely advised “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. So cook your goose well this Christmas or it might just cook yours.