FSA warns over BBQ food poisoning risk

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a statement warning people to take care when consuming food cooked on a barbecue.

The FSA claimed that the cases of food poisoning had doubled over the summer months, with many incidents as a result of eating undercooked meat. Officials have advised that burgers should be cooked until they are piping hot all the way through.

The caution comes as a survey of 2,708 people found that 10 per cent of respondents prefer to eat their meat rare, while another poll found that 81 per cent of adults had admitted to testing undercooked burgers at home.

The FSA warned that while rare cooked steaks can be served safely, burgers cannot be undercooked and consumed in the same fashion. It explained that harmful bacteria often persists within burgers because the meat is minced and mixed, so the meat should be cooked thoroughly and evenly throughout, until the juices run clear.

The FSA also advises pre-cooking meats such as chicken and sausages in the oven before finishing them off on a barbecue.