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Have a sizzling and safe barbecue this Bank Holiday weekend

Have a sizzling and safe barbecue this Bank Holiday weekend

 

If you’re aiming to round off the summer holidays with a Bank Holiday  barbecue, Arun District Council and Food Standards Agency (FSA) have some good advice to help make it a safe success.

The barbecue food most likely to cause food poisoning is burgers which have not been cooked properly.

Unlike steak, burgers cannot be served rare as they are made up of minced meat, so any bacteria on the outside of the meat will be mixed into the middle too. If it isn’t cooked all the way through, the bacteria can survive.

So, this Bank Holiday Weekend (27-29 August), rain or shine, the Council and the FSA are reminding everybody to:

•           cook burgers so they are steaming hot all the way through, no matter how good quality or expensive the meat

•           check that none of it is pink and that any juices run clear, and

•           avoid cross contamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking, using different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food.

Councillor Terence Chapman, Arun District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: “Following this advice will ensure that what should be a fun barbecue, doesn’t end up with loved ones becoming ill. Children, elderly and vulnerable people in your family especially could get food poisoning, or even worse – a life threatening illness through serving a less than well-cooked burger at your barbecue this weekend.”

If you want your barbecue to be remembered for the right reasons, follow the FSA’s advice on cooking burgers at your barbecue.