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Your Local Free Spice Journal
www.thespicecity.co.uk
Your Local Free Spice Journal
www.thespicecity.co.uk
January 2011
The Health Protection Agency has published a report of
outbreaks of campylobacter food poisoning linked to
chicken liver products. The Food Standards Agency is
therefore reminding caterers to make sure chicken liver
is cooked thoroughly.
Data provided by the Health Protection Agency shows
that 11 of the 15 outbreaks of campylobacter recorded
this year at catering premises (such as restaurants and
hotels) were linked to consuming poultry liver parfait
or pâté. This is a substantial increase compared with pre-
vious years.
The majority of the outbreaks associated with pâté or
parfait, products between 2005 and 2010, have been at
catering establishments and involved products prepared
on-site as opposed to purchased ready-made.
FSA advice on cooking chicken liver
Poultry liver carries a high risk of campylobacter con-
tamination if not cooked enough as the bacteria can be
present throughout the liver. The Food Standards
Agency is therefore reminding caterers to make sure
chicken livers are handled hygienically and cooked thor-
oughly when used in products such as pâté or parfait.
Some recipes indicate that searing chicken liver is
enough to kill any bacteria. However, food safety ex-
perts at the Agency advise that chicken liver must be
cooked all the way through and not just seared. Campy-
lobacter can be present throughout the liver, not just on
the surface.
The Agency advises that liver, kidneys, and other types
of offal should be handled hygienically to avoid cross-
contamination and cooked thoroughly until they are
steaming hot all the way through. The centre should
reach a temperature of 70°C for two minutes or the
equivalent time and temperature. The equivalent heat
treatments are:
• 65°C for 10 minutes
• 70°C for 2 minutes
• 75°C for 30 seconds
• 80°C for 6 seconds
The FSA has identified the reduction of human food-
borne disease and, in particular, tackling campylobacter
infections acquired from chicken, as a key priority for
the next five years. The most recent figures suggest that
65% of shop-bought chicken is contaminated with
campylobacter and the bug is responsible for more than
300,000 cases of food poisoning and 15,000 admissions
to hospital a year in England and Wales.
Michelle Allbright : German eggs polluted with diox-
ins have been used in British baked goods, the BBC
has learned.
The EU has warned that eggs from farms affected by
dioxins have entered the UK in products destined for
human consumption. The eggs had been sent to the
Netherlands for processing and then on to the UK
in liquid form where, the BBC has learnt, they have
been used by two manufacturers of cakes and
quiches.
The EU executive said 14 tonnes of eggs in liquid
form had been exported to the UK but it was unclear
if those eggs were contaminated.
Spice City’s
Restaurant of
the MonthReport links undercooked liver to campylobacter food poisoning
FREE
see page 23
Spice City’s Chef of the MonthIn the second Chef of the Month series,
we interview Harun Miah, the head
chef of Spice Lounge in Culcheth,
Warrington, to find out about his
experience and what gives his cooking its flavour. Spice
Lounge specialise in creating flavourful authentic dishes
from the sub-continent. I have always been curious about life
as a professional chef, so I put questions to various chefs
from all walks of life, thinking the answers to the same ques-
tions will be interesting and different. Interview by Afruj
Choudhury
Happy New Year to all our Readers - The Spice City
Published by: Raj Media Group: Sylvan House, 2 Sylvan Street, Oldham, Lance, OL9 6LX - www.thespicecity.co.uk - [email protected] -Tel: 0161 652 8106
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Chilli link to lowblood pressure
Turmeric may helpin fighting cancer
SPICE RECIPES
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polluted eggs with dioxins
Continue page 02
Beer – Back on the Menu?Spice City : Beer is the new Superfood! Or it could be according
to a report by the Beer Academy.
The report dispenses with myths such as the ‘beer belly’ and
goes a long way to prove that beer should be the natural choice
when it comes to alcoholic beverages.
“Beer is sometimes thought of as an unhealthy drink,” explains
Dr George Philliskirk, a biochemist and founder member of the
Beer Academy. But, as scientists learn more about the properties
of beer, it is clear that hidden away in this seemingly understated,
thirst quenching drink is an abundance of health giving properties.
In many parts of the world it is often safer to drink beer, which is
hostile to harmful bacteria, than water.” Continue page 28
Continue page 28