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safefood is reminding consumers to follow good food safety practice when cooking
food on barbecues over the summer months as new research reveals that one in
five people do not know how to check if their burgers, sausages or chicken are
cooked properly on a barbecue. Undercooking these foods on a barbecue can potentially
expose the consumer to the perils of food poisoning.
Dr. Gary Kearney, Director Food Science safefood explains:
“With the summer months upon us, more of us are thinking about
cooking on barbecues. And while we can’t ensure good weather all the
time, we can take measures to guarantee good food safety when having a barbecue.
It is important that meat which has been minced or skewered, such as burgers,
sausages and kebabs, is cooked thoroughly and never served rare or pink in
the middle. When meat is chopped or minced, any bacteria present on the outside
are moved around and into the centre of the food. These meats must be cooked
thoroughly until piping hot all the way through, the juices run clear and
until there is no pink meat left. All poultry and pork must also be cooked
thoroughly all the way through”.
There are three ways to check that meat is cooked thoroughly:
1.
Check the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the meat with
a fork or skewer
2.
Meat changes colour when it is cooked; make sure that there is no pink meat
left
3.
Cut the meat open with a clean knife to check that it is piping hot all the
way through; it should be steaming
It is important when planning a barbecue think food safety and try
to plan ahead. Some tips from safefood for this summer are:
Cooking on the barbecue
* Light the barbecue well in advance. Make sure it’s very hot and that
the flames have died down before you start to cook
* As with any food preparation, make sure to wash your hands before and after
handling food
* Be sure that frozen food is fully thawed, preferably in the fridge, before
you cook it
* Keep raw meats and poultry cool in the fridge or iced cool-box until needed.
Keep raw meats separated from cooked meats and ready-to-eat foods
* Use separate utensils for raw and cooked meat
* Never put cooked food on a dish that has been used for raw meat (unless it
has been washed thoroughly). Keep raw meats and poultry cool in the fridge or
iced cool-box until needed
* Turn food regularly and move it around the barbecue to ensure it is evenly
cooked
* Just because the meat turns crisp and brown on the outside, don’t assume
it’s properly cooked inside.
* Don’t put raw meat next to cooked or partially cooked meat on the barbecue
* Make sure any marinade used on raw meat is not used to coat vegetables or
cooked meat
* Remember if you are barbecuing for lots of people, you could cook food indoors
and just finish it off on the barbecue.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children
survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s
largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child
health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education
for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation,
and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals,
businesses, foundations and governments.
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health
issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed
in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in
this news item was released by the UNICEF on 4 June 2009 and may have been edited
(e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international
readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website.
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