NEARLY half of Scots ignore food safety advice, putting others at risk from food poisoning from their Christmas dinners.
Only 45 per cent claim to follow the correct guidance of never washing raw poultry, such as the Christmas turkey, while half say they stick to what they learned as children when preparing food.
Washing poultry before cooking can spread harmful bacteria like campylobacter, the most common cause of food poisoning in Scotland.
It is unnecessary as proper cooking kills harmful bacteria, and rinsing the raw meat splashes germs around the kitchen.
“Old habits die hard and while Christmas traditions are wonderful, some can do more harm than good by spreading harmful bugs around the kitchen,” said Jacqui McElhiney, of Food Standards Scotland.
Find safety advice on preparing and cooking your Christmas turkey at bit.ly/FoodStandardsTurkeySafety
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