A small distraction is enough to transform a barbecue with friends into a hotbed of food poisoning, more complex than a simple stomach ache and aggravated by growing antibiotic resistance. Food Standard Agency (FSA, the British food safety agency) has developed a guide , with simple and effective advice. (1)
Food poisoning guide to barbecue
The Campylobacter bacteria lurking when handling raw meat are essentially four
- Campylobacter, the most common zoonosis in the EU since 2005, (2)
Salmonella spp., among the most reported food safety hazards through RASFF notifications in 2022, as we have seen, (3)
– Listeria m., responsible in 2019 for a Spanish epidemic, (4)
Escherichia coli, which when capable of producing Shiga-toxins is among the most dangerous food-borne bacteria. (5)
Preventing poisoning it is possible, but it is necessary to follow a few simple precautions to the letter in the preparation and cooking phases, as well as in the conservation of leftovers.
1) Hygiene in preparation
Effective cleaning eliminates bacteria from hands, equipment and surfaces and helps prevent it from spreading to food. FSA suggests
– wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after cooking and eating, especially after handling raw meat or firelighters,
– keep the food covered and refrigerated until it is time to transfer it to the grill. In the refrigerator, raw meat must be placed in a container with edges high enough to prevent the dripping of meat liquids onto other foods,
– keep utensils, plates, cutting boards and other food surfaces clean and well separated, carefully avoiding the contact between objects used to prepare raw foods and those already cooked and ready to eat. An example above all, never use the cutting board for ready-to-eat vegetables or fruit, after its contact with the meat, without first washing it well,
– never wash raw chicken or other meat. During washing, pathogenic microorganisms can in fact spread on hands, utensils and worktops.
2) Cooking
Cooking at the right temperature (at least 70 °C) and for the right amount of time it inactivates any harmful bacteria. In particular,
– red meat, like steaks, can be eaten safely even if pink or rare, provided the surface has been properly seared,
– chicken and pork, as well as minced meat products such as hamburgers, kebabs and sausages, should not be eaten when the meat is still pink. Before eating it is therefore necessary to cut the thickest part, to check that the meat inside is not yet pink.
In addition to meeting deadlines, it is advisable to turn the meat on the grill from time to time so that it is cooked evenly on all sides.
It goes without saying that defrosted meat may still be too cold inside and not reach safety doneness. The eventuality must be ascertained and possibly managed with the defrost function of the oven or microwave, before moving on to the barbecue.
2.1) The pre-cooking trick
Meat other than steak it can be pre-cooked in the oven and then grilled before consumption, so that it acquires its typical aroma.
This gimmick has a double use:
– ensures the elimination of pathogenic bacteria,
– reduces waiting times for diners gathered around the barbecue.
3) Management of leftovers
Leftovers of cooked meat must be placed in the fridge within one to two hours at the most and consumed within 48 hours, after heating which makes the food steaming. If the meat has been defrosted, consumption times are reduced to 24 hours. The alternative is to freeze them.
In leftover management the cross-contamination prevention rule applies, do not use utensils and crockery used for raw meat.
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1)BBQ food safety. FSA, Food Standards Agency. 4.5.23 https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/bbq-food-safety
(2) Dario Dongo, Silvia Bonardi. Campylobacter, beware of undercooked poultry and pork. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(3) Dario Dongo, Marta Singed. RASFF 2022, EU food safety report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(4) Dario Dongo, Marta Singed. Listeria, the Spanish epidemic and the faults of Brussels. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(5) Dario Dongo. Fontina Carrefour with E.Coli and Shiga toxins. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
A professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic studies on food and has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
