FOOD SAFETY NEWS – An Australian charity has raised concerns about people unnecessarily washing raw chicken before cooking it.
The Food Safety Information Council released findings from a national study to mark Australian Food Safety Week which runs from Nov. 8 to 15. The poll conducted online in August included 1,221 people older than age of 18.
One in two adults said they usually wash whole raw chicken before cooking. The proportion who wash chicken before cooking is 48 percent for chicken pieces with the skin on and 44 percent for skinless chicken pieces.
As part of an effort to tackle food safety myths, previous survey findings revealed that many people incorrectly blame food poisoning on the last thing they ate.
Worsening situation
Associate Professor Julian Cox, the council’s deputy chair, said the need to wash poultry, including chicken, was a myth and could increase the food safety risk.
“Despite what you’ve been told, or seen on social media, you should never wash raw chicken before cooking as this will likely spread bacteria throughout your kitchen, increasing the risk of foodborne illness.
Cooking chicken to 167 degrees F, checked using a meat thermometer in the thickest part, ensures that bacteria are killed,” he said.
“Foodborne disease is not a minor illness. Authorities estimate there are 4.67 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 47,900 hospitalizations, 38 deaths and a cost to the economy of $3 billion (U.S. $1.9 billion).”
Since 2021, the proportion of home cooks typically washing raw chicken has increased, up from 49 percent for whole chicken, 43 percent for skin-on pieces, and 40 percent for skinless chicken pieces.
Food safety tips include always washing and dry hands and clean surfaces after contact with raw poultry, making sure juices do not contaminate other food, and using clean plates and utensils and wash and dry thoroughly between use with raw and cooked poultry.
FSANZ annual report
In other news, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has published its annual report for 2024 to 2025.
One development was approval of a cell-cultured quail product in March 2025. The quail was developed using animal cell culture technology. FSANZ assessed safety and composition and concluded it was safe for consumption.
These foods will be labeled as cell cultured or cell-cultivated. A new food safety standard was also established to set requirements for the production and processing of cell-cultured foods.
A proposal on egg safety will shortly be considered by the Board. It includes environmental testing for Salmonella Enteritidis, rodent, insect and wild bird control, safe cleaning of eggs, and temperature control during storage and transport of eggs and egg products.
FSANZ coordinated 87 food recalls in 2024–25. The most common reason was undeclared allergens followed by microbial contamination.
Major events included issues with frozen açaí products, contaminated cooking oil in China and multi-jurisdictional outbreak investigations. One incident was Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in spinach in March 2025.
STEC was found in two pre-packaged, ready-to-eat spinach products purchased from separate supermarkets during routine public health surveillance. A definitive source of contamination could not be confirmed and there were no illnesses.
In 2024–25, FSANZ received $25.5 million (U.S. $16.6 million) in revenue, mainly from the Australian and New Zealand governments and project funding. The agency spent $26.5 million ($17.3 million), primarily on salaries and other employee related costs. Income was $24.3 million ($15.8 million) and expenditure was $24.8 million ($16.1 million) in 2023–24.
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