Food Standards Agency report – Food safety behaviours in the home

The Food Standards Agency has released the final report called Food Safety behaviours in the home. This lengthy report makes fairly grim reading overall concerning people’s awareness of food safety and risk in the home when dealing with food. There are significant gaps in people’s knowledge concerning correct cooking temperatures, cross contamination prevention, correct refrigeration and thawing practices and knowledge of Use By dates. One part of the report states that “People‘s self rated level of their understanding of food safety was higher than that found when observed by researchers” which probably explains the lack of awareness of risk. Another reference in the report points to a study of barbecue and stir fry chicken in 30 homes showing no less than a 75% incidence of the food borne pathogen Campylobacter. It’s concerned us here at MQM! We need to go forward not backwards! If you are in the catering or food processing industry or simply a consumer and are worried then do call us…remember that we offer a bespoke food hygiene audit service to help raise food safety competence and awareness. The Food Standards Agency study can be found from a link on this page http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2011/aug/homehygiene