Don’t Wash Raw Chicken – Use Ovenable Packaging Instead

As Food Safety Week 2014, the current Food Standards Agency campaign underlines, there are around 28…

As Food Safety Week 2014, the current Food Standards Agency campaign underlines, there are around 280,000 people affected by Campylobacter in the UK annually, most suffering unpleasant abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, but an unlucky minority going on to more serious illnesses including irritable bowel syndrome, reactive arthritis and in rare cases a nervous disease called Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Most cases of Campylobacter infection are caused by poultry.

FFP’s printable Estercook ovenable packaging offers manufacturers, retailers and consumers a further level of protection in the fight against the Campylobacter bacterium, the ovenable packaging meaning that at no point after it leaves the packing line is the raw chicken protein exposed to the air, only being unwrapped after cooking. No touch, no mess from fridge to oven.

Around 40% of people surveyed said they regularly wash their chicken, and the FSA campaign seeks to actively discourage people from doing that. However, Estercook from FFP offers an alternative. By securely wrapping chicken, either whole bird or pieces, on the production line, an effective barrier to Campylobacter is created.

Manufacturers also have the option of adding value with sauces and butters. Estercook can be supplied full colour printed and is fully safety tested.

Estercook provides manufacturers with a real opportunity to add another layer of protection to consumers in this important public health issue.