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 this weekend, Cannock Chase Council and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have some good advice to keep you safe and help make it a success.

Burgers need to be fully cooked, this is because any harmful bacteria that may have been on the surface of the raw meat before mincing will be spread throughout the burger, and will not be killed if all parts of the burger aren’t fully cooked.

It’s not like a steak, these can be served pink/rare because any contamination is on the surface of the meat and is destroyed when the steak is seared. With a burger, or any other minced meat product (e.g. sausages, kebabs) the inside and outside needs to be thoroughly cooked.

This Bank Holiday weekend (27-29 August), come rain or shine, the Council’s Food and Safety Team is 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
• avoid cross contamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking
• use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food

Councillor Muriel Davis, Portfolio Leader for Health and Wellbeing said ‘It’s the little things like following this advice that can keep your family and friends safe this Bank Holiday weekend. You can’t see, smell or taste bacteria, but it could be there, no matter how high quality the meat.

Children, elderly and poorly people 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. Find out more about the FSA’s top tips at: food.gov.uk/burgers

Our Food and Safety Team offer free home food safety checks. If you are interested give them a call on 01543 462621 or email environmentalHealth@cannockchasedc.gov.uk