Food Safetylocaldigital2022-10-27T15:36:17+11:00 Show
Food Safety & Chicken MeatAll foods (with the exception of sterilised foods such as canned produce) contain bacteria. Most of these bacteria are harmless or even an essential part of the production process such as in cheese. However, some bacteria can cause illness in humans if food is not handled correctly. Both Salmonella and Campylobacter are bacteria that occur naturally on a range of foods, including meat, eggs and all other fresh food including salads, vegetables, fruit and nuts. They are also considered to be ‘commensals’ of chickens, which means that they are part of the normal microflora of the chicken gut, where they can live without affecting the chicken. However, some strains of Salmonella and Campylobacter can cause illness in humans. Delivering safe chicken meat products to Australian consumers is an imperative for the chicken industry and significant effort is put into minimising contamination of chicken meat with these bacteria. Handling of the raw chicken in the kitchen then becomes crucial to maintaining safety of the chicken meat. Food Safety is an Imperative for the Chicken IndustryEfforts to minimise these bacteria in the supply chain start right back at the breeding farms, where the industry concentrates on reducing the prevalence of these bacteria in breeding flocks to limit the possibility for their transmission from parent hens to their day old chicks via the eggshell of hatching eggs. Hygiene in the hatchery is critical to ensure that the possibility of contamination of day old chicks within the hatchery itself is minimised, and heat treatment of feed manufactured for meat chickens helps to reduce the risk of these bacteria being introduced to meat chickens through their food. On meat chicken farms, a range of biosecurity measures are implemented to reduce the risk of introduction of foodborne pathogens (see biosecurity), water supplies are treated to kill bacteria in the drinking water, and the timing of feed and water removal prior to harvesting is carefully managed to reduce the risk of contamination between farm and processing plant and during processing. However, much of the effort on controlling these bacteria happens in the processing plant through careful removal of the gut/intestine to avoid any spillage, multiple washing and other cleaning steps along the processing line to remove any bacteria from the carcass, and rapid chilling to get the carcass quickly down to a temperature at which bacteria can’t grow. Chicken products then need to be carefully stored and managed through their distribution to retailers, restaurants, food service providers and wholesalers and further processors to ensure appropriate food safety standards are maintained right up to the point that the consumer receives it. In particular, once the chicken leaves the processing plant cool room, it is essential that it stays cool at all times up to the point that it reaches the ultimate purchaser, or is cooked. The chicken meat industry supports safe food handling right through the food supply chain, through research, through its own production and processing quality assurance systems and through activities to educate consumers in the safe handling of food. Food Standards in Production & ProcessingFood standards are set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a statutory authority within the Australian Government’s health portfolio. The Primary Production and Processing (PPP) Standard for Poultry Meat (Standard 4.2.2) is part of a series of national food safety standards. The standards can be found here. In addition, the chicken meat industry complies with a range of standards and codes of practice established by Governments and also private schemes aimed at ensuring that the ultimate product is safe and was produced in line with all the requirements of animal welfare, occupational health and safety and food safety. The basic aim of food standards is to ensure that all food offered to consumers is safe to eat. Safe Handling & Preparation of Chicken MeatAny risk from bacteria is eliminated if meat is cooked properly and care is taken not to contaminate other cooked foods or those to be eaten raw, such as salad. Below are some resources to help consumers and food service businesses understand some of the most important things they need to do to make sure they do their part in ensuring the safety of the food they serve their families and customers. Basic Rules & Their ReasonFor meat that has yet to be cooked before consumption, the main thing is to:
Perhaps the most common food handling failure in the kitchen is to not keep raw meat clearly separate from cooked and ready to eat meat, salads and vegetables during storage and most importantly during food preparation. By cross-contaminating food that will not be subsequently exposed to heat prior to its consumption, harmful bacteria can still be consumed. Buying ChickenWhen shopping:
Storing Chicken
Preparing Chicken
Should Chicken Meat be Washed?It is not recommended to wash chicken meat before cooking. This recommendation has the endorsement of the Food Safety Information Council (FSIC). Washing is likely to splash raw meat juices and any bacteria in to the kitchen sink, bench top and utensils and washing will not remove all bacteria. Modern chicken meat processing means that raw chicken meat is much safer now than it used to be when washing may have been recommended. Make sure you wash hands thoroughly and immediately after handling raw chicken meat. Only cooking will destroy all bacteria effectively. Cooking & Reheating ChickenCook chicken thoroughly. The high temperatures reached in roasting, baking, frying and boiling kill food poisoning bacteria as long as all internal and external parts of the chicken reach the right temperature (75°C). Use a skewer to check that chicken meat is properly cooked by piercing deeply through the thickest part of the meat. When cooked properly, the juices will run absolutely clear, not pink. But the best way to check is by using a food thermometer. When is Chicken Cooked?Chicken not only tastes best when it is cooked right through but it is also “the safe thing to do”. Any bacteria that could potentially cause illness will be destroyed by the cooking process. But how do you know when a piece of chicken is fully cooked?
Fortunately, chicken meat is much easier to cook correctly than most other meats because chicken does not get tough if it is cooked a little longer. So if you are not sure, err on the side of caution (within reason of course) and you will enjoy a great tasting and safe meal. Storage of Cooked ChickenLeftovers should be stored in the fridge as soon as hot food has stopped steaming. Cooked chicken should be used within two to three days, or one day if you are pregnant, immunocompromised or elderly. Freeze if more than two days’ storage is required.
Hygiene in the Kitchen
Handy Food Safety PostersThe rules are straight forward, but a simple poster or fact sheet stuck on the fridge or your kitchen cupboard will make sure that the whole family becomes and remains food safety aware. This ACMF flyer is available as a full colour PDF file: This Food Safety Information Council also provides this useful one page poster: http://foodsafety.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/NewcrookPoster_A2.pdf DOWNLOAD (70 KB) This poster produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) may also come in handy: Food Safety WebsitesCan you get Salmonella from thoroughly cooked chicken?Any consumer can completely mitigate ALL Salmonella bacteria through proper safe handling and by cooking chicken products to an internal temperature of 165°F or greater. But cooking chicken to the well-done stage doesn't necessarily protect consumers from salmonella poisoning.
Can Salmonella be killed by cooking?Does cooking kill salmonella? Thorough cooking can kill salmonella. But when health officials warn people not to eat potentially contaminated food, or when a food is recalled because of salmonella risk, that means don't eat that food, cooked or not, rinsed or not.
Can you get diseases from cooked chicken?Thoroughly cooking chicken, poultry products, and meat destroys germs. Raw and undercooked meat and poultry can make you sick. Most raw poultry contains Campylobacter. It also may contain Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, and other bacteria.
Can bacteria grow on cooked chicken?USDA recommends using cooked chicken within three to four days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within three to four days.
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