To wash or not to wash – that's the question
On the Runet, retellings of the next discovery of British scientists (TM) float every day: "Doctors forbid washing chicken," "Washing chicken meat is often the cause of food poisoning," and even, in order to completely confuse readers, "Washing raw chicken meat is deadly." So wash it or what?
St. Petersburg doctors advise not to listen to the British
and continue to wash the chicken before cooking
Because with the splashes inevitable during this process, bacteria responsible for the most dangerous food poisoning spread in the kitchen. These are Campylobacter bacteria.
The warning of the English Food Standards Agency (FSA) published in The Guardian in London made a lot of noise. Previously, the British were warned that after cooking chicken, you should wash your hands thoroughly. And now a new recommendation – stop washing raw chicken at all.
The warning published by doctors literally says: "stop washing chickens and everything related to chicken meat – breasts, thighs, wings. Otherwise, you risk infecting your entire kitchen with the bacterium "Campylobacter" – (Campylobacter) – the most common bacterium in England, which can cause death and other serious health problems."
Almost all housewives, according to surveys, wash the chicken before cooking. Probably, this is characteristic not only of the British, but also of our compatriots. And here, according to the Food Standards Agency, lies a terrible danger. 250,000 people in England have been affected by this process in the past year alone. Stomach pains, nausea, vomiting – these are the usual signs of infection with the Campylobacter bacterium. In more complex cases, manifestations of irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, and even death are possible.
St. Petersburg doctors reacted to the proposal of the English Food Standards Agency with skepticism. As the chief physician of the Botkin Infectious Diseases Hospital Alexey Yakovlev noted, the bacterium can be both on the surface and inside the chicken – in order to prevent the sale of infected products, there is sanitary control. In any case, it is necessary to observe hygiene during cooking chicken – washing hands, maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen and high-quality heat treatment of the product.
According to Pavel Alexandrov, chief infectious disease specialist of the Vasileostrovsky district of St. Petersburg, head of the infectious diseases office of polyclinic department No. 53, campylobacter is a widespread bacterium that can be found anywhere – not only in chicken, but also in meat and dairy products. It cannot be called "terribly dangerous" – it causes a standard intestinal infection. "The idea of infecting the entire kitchen with bacteria when spraying water is greatly exaggerated," Pavel Alexandrov said. "But if you don't wash the chicken, then not only campylobacter and other bacteria can remain on its surface, but also a variety of contaminants, including droppings."
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru19.06.2014