Campylobacter Archives

Safe handling of chicken to minimize campylobacter contamination

Handling raw chicken requires attention to some basic food hygiene principals to reduce the chances of eating food contaminated with campylobacter. The Food Standards Agency quote that about four in five cases of campylobacter food poisoning in the UK come from contaminated poultry, especially chicken and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an estimated 1.3 million illnesses in the United States each year caused by campylobacter. Campylobacter has a low infective dose, meaning it takes very few germs (fewer than 500) to make someone ill (source). That means a single drop of juice from raw chicken can have enough Campylobacter in it to infect someone. How to reduce the risk from campylobacter when handling chicken Clean Make sure your hands are washed and that the kitchen worksurfaces, cutting boards and utensils are thoroughly clean. Immediately after being … Read more

Amidst Campylobacter Surge, Smart Temperature Monitoring Can Play Big Role in Food Safety Strategies

Food safety experts across the globe are taking action in response to an astounding surge in Campylobacter – a bacterium that can infect food and, when consumed by humans, cause fever, nausea, vomiting and a slew of other symptoms. Recent analyses in the United Kingdom and United States are particularly grim. More than 70 percent of chickens tested in the UK between February 2014 and February 2015 were contaminated with Campylobacter, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA). In the United States, Campylobacter infections in humans have increased more than 13 percent. With the UK’s Campylobacter infection rates being compared to the salmonella outbreak of the 1980s, government officials have charged poultry suppliers to make immediate improvements. Enhancing food-temperature safety strategies can be a key component to driving down infections that can fester and grow when food is processed, transported, … Read more