Food Safety Week – show food poisoning the red card!

Councillor Tony Cox, Executive Councillor for Public Protection and Waste, said: "More than 200 people a year in the Southend area suffer from food poisoning - and these are only the cases which have been officially confirmed by the laboratory.

"Many more with the same symptoms don't even go to the doctor - let alone submit samples for testing - so worryingly the real figure is likely to be much higher.

"Using Food Standards Agency research we believe that around 3,000 Southend residents annually develop food poisoning.

"We expect to see the number of cases increase this summer as the weather gets warmer and barbecues and eating outside become more frequent.

"Food poisoning is a miserable experience and can so easily be avoided by following straightforward steps. Simply storing, handling and cooking food properly will minimise the risk."

• Proper cooking will kill food bugs. It's especially important to make sure poultry, pork, burgers and sausages are cooked all the way through. If there's any pink meat or the juices have any pink or red in them, germs could be lurking! 
• Check your food is steaming hot all the way through before serving.
• Avoiding cross-contamination is also extremely important. This means stopping bacteria spreading between foods and contaminated surfaces or utensils. 
• Make sure you store raw meat covered and at the bottom of the fridge, below and away from ready-to-eat food.
• Never use the same chopping board for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods without washing the board and knife thoroughly first.
• Clean hands in the kitchen are vital in the fight against food poisoning. Wash hands thoroughly with hot soapy water very regularly. Use a very clean towel or disposable paper towels to dry your hands.
• Food must also be kept at the right temperature. Food that needs to be chilled should be kept in the fridge. Check it's running at the right temperature - between 0°C and 5°C.  Storage above this range can allow bacteria to grow or harmful toxins to form. 
• When having a picnic, don't take food out of the fridge until the last minute and use a cool bag to keep it chilled until ready to eat.

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council's Food Safety Display Trailer has been touring venues such as Tesco Extra in Prince Avenue and Asda in Shoebury and will be at B&Q in Fossetts Way on Friday 11th June.

With the special theme of barbecues, each of these displays has features useful information, free gifts and competitions to win barbecue products donated by the host venues.

For more information about this media release please call the press desk on 01702-215000 ext 5505 or e-mail media@southend.gov.uk