There have been a number of listeria outbreaks in the news recently, from chocolate mousse, airline sandwiches to the latest sandwiches and salads served to hospital patients that has to date caused 5 deaths. People who are over 60, already ill and those who are pregnant are most vulnerable to serious and life-threatening illness. Pregnant […]
Salmonella are common bacteria that cause food poisoning. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates 93.9 million cases of gastroenteritis due to Salmonella occur annually, and non-typhoidal salmonellosis (the disease caused by Salmonella infection) causes 155,000 deaths each year worldwide. Click here to view a great introduction to Salmonella by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Salmonella are found in raw meats, raw poultry, raw […]
Want to be more hygienic but always in a hurry? Don’t worry, there are little things that can make a real difference – here are some top tips. First – why bother?
Some people think that food poisoning is a mild illness which if anything might help them lose weight, but I recently watched this clip about a man who contracted Campylobacter food poisoning and developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, causing him to be paralysed. Having seen a friend also go through similar slow recovery from this syndrome, I […]
I know it is incredibly trendy to eat food off anything other than a “boring” plate, but really, do you want a mouthful of someone else’s meal mixed with their saliva with your dinner? Or maybe the dirty washing up water has softened up the food debris which then got stuck in the cracks of […]
I guess the first thing about reducing food waste is not to buy so much – plan ahead, see what you already have and don’t shop when hungry. Using a list can help, and on-line shopping can be a godsend for many reasons, but one is that you can check your cupboards as you shop. […]
Is it Safe to Eat Food Past its Best-Before or Use-by Date? Recently there has been quite a bit in the news about whether it is safe to eat food that has gone past its best-before or use-by date, and even more worrying, food being retrieved from skips and bins to eat. So what are […]
Campylobacter is still at large – so be prepared in BBQ season Summer is here (well in theory) and the BBQs come out, but in the light of the recent findings that Campylobacter is still likely to be present in over 70% of raw chicken, what can we do to ensure that we are not […]
The 5 Second Rule: should you eat food if it drops on the floor? Recent research by has hit the press this week, reported as concluding that bacteria may not transfer quickly to some foods when dropped on the floor, and therefore the 5 second rule may apply. I carried out an experiment and put some special […]
Traditionally many foods have been preserved without being stored in the fridge because they contain high quantities of salt or sugar which are used as preservatives. However, as we are being told we need to eat less salt for our heart’s health, and less sugar to reduce obesity, manufacturers are being urged by government departments to reduce […]
