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Campaign highlights food safety over Christmas

Families are being urged to be extra vigilant with food safety over the coming festive season, in a month-long awareness campaign launched today by Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

The campaign encourages people to make sure they are using effective food safety practices to minimise the chance of becoming ill over the holiday period.

The message is being delivered – via advertising on social media and radio, and on billboards in busy public places such as Waverley and Central train stations - using a series of stark images showing people suffering the ill effects of food poisoning, under the headline: ‘Christmas isn’t so magical with food poisoning’.

FSS has also produced a Christmas food safety checklist highlighting the best ways of reducing the risks of food poisoning, whether they are doing the cooking or not.

This includes, for instance, recommending everyone cook their Christmas turkeys to 75 degrees Celsius in the thickest part of the bird, while making sure juices run clear and no pink meat is visible.

Also, that any leftovers are stored in containers in the fridge within 2 hours and then eaten within two days or frozen. And that checking and following use-by dates on all food is critical when planning and cooking over Christmas.

FSS’s latest Our Food in Scotland tracker survey revealed many consumers still admit to risky behaviours that can lead to food poisoning.

Only a third of respondents, for example, said they always read information on food labels; just 12% use a food thermometer when cooking; and nearly two-thirds believe they are unlikely to get food poisoning from food prepared in their own home.

Emma Agnew, Senior Scientific Advisor at FSS, said:

“Our campaign message plays, of course, on the age-old theme of Christmas being the most ‘magical time of the year’ - but carries a very serious undertone: that food poisoning will ruin your Christmas.

“We want to remind everyone in Scotland to remain super-vigilant to the risks of food poisoning this festive season, especially for those more at risk of severe or even life threatening cases of food poisoning, such as the elderly, young children and those with weakened immune systems.

“Our checklist provides top tips anyone might want to know about safe cooking, by highlighting good food safety behaviours and the best ways of making you less likely to get or pass on food poisoning.”

Minister for Public Health, Women's Health & Sport Maree Todd said:

“I am pleased that Food Standards Scotland is launching a campaign on food safety today.

“With the ongoing challenges of COVID-19, I know we will be looking forward to celebrating during this special time of year. The practical advice being given will help keep us healthy and well over the coming festive season.”

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