The Food Standards Agency has released a warning on its websites to inform consumers about the dangers of washing chickens. Although this update points towards the consumer it is wise reading for anyone within hotel or catering too! Washing of chicken carcasses before cooking has no microbiological benefit as the carcase is going to be cooked anyway. And there would be no specific dirt residues on a clean carcass to wash off. The very low infective dose of Campylobacter presents a real risk if carcasses are washed as the micro-aerosols created can indeed, as the articles suggests, spread far and wide. Click here for the full Food Standards Agency article is here.
