Chicken -contaminated with campylobacte.

[CrispyOtter]

Yes, they are. However, we are not talking about all bacteria are we - we are talking about specific bacteria. There is also a difference between making modest and sensible precautions and going OCD on it all. There is also a big difference in the infective load caused by taking reasonable precautions and not.

Basic risk management would dictate that when the end result is potentially very severe that small measures to mitigate that risk are desirable.

The majority of these bacteria's are opportunistic pathogens to humans they are found readily in the environment. They don't just appear from nowhere and infect a human out of spite. They are quite happily sitting around in their own little environment, breeding and bacteria-ing about in large enough numbers. It's only when the opportunity arises and they find themselves in a position to take advantage and breed up a few hundred million descendants in a human gut that they 'become a problem'.

You are correct that it is all about risk management. Risk from the environmental contamination and the human contamination risk (which is usually more severe). Both of these are legislatively controlled. Food and water hygiene are two of the most strictly regulated industries. We have nothing to worry about. These bugs were here before the dinosaurs and they will be here long after the last human dies. They aren't going anywhere.

 

[BuffetSlayer]

Must have been a slow news day.

Basic food hygiene practices in the kitchen will minimise any risk from the various bacteria that will be on our meat and vegetables.

Ensuring meat is properly cooked is another layer of protection.

 

[James J]

I got blasted in my diet thread for explaining why I don't eat meat....

This is why,

Enjoy your health problems.

Hilarious! Next you'll be saying that your reliance of vitamin pills is good for you due to your diet imbalance. Next!

Seriously though, if you are that stupid to believe a news paper article at face value and decide life style changes on it, you honestly need your head testing.

 

[Destination]

How is it stupid, people nowadays have crap immune systems because they're always so worried buying all these antibacterial sprays and things and using antibiotics. It's like they have no concept of developing natural immunity to things and they wonder why they get sick!

Most I use is a bit of soap and I don't worry too much, I cook my pork slightly pink, defrost things in hot water from time to time, not exactly Mr. "I must use all these seperate chopping boards". Never been sick from food, rarely sick at all for that matter.


I've tried it but I was drunk and I sort of accepted "Well if I get sick, I get sick"

It was crap if I'm being honest, serious disappointment.

People used to die by their mid thirties due to crappy medicine, infections, diseases which do not kill people often now. They didn't have better immune systems.

There might be an allergy related issue to being clean, half the problem now is people don't understand the difference in cleaning and disinfection.

You rub alcohol on a dirty surface and you can fix the proteins to that surface. You clean it first, then hit it with alcohol and you're well sorted.

 

[Mr-White]

I'm eating chicken as I type and hoping it was cooked properly

MW

 

[James J]

I'm eating chicken as I type and hoping it was cooked properly

MW

You need to eat a minimum quantity of the bacteria for it to stand a hope in hells chance of forming a colony in the first place. If the chicken is cooked all the way through and has been stored correctly afterwards, the chance of getting food poisoning from it is exceptionally low.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

All these antibacterial gels and sprays it's bloody stupid.

They don't even work. It's all psychological. Wash your hands with plain soap and wave a UV light over them, and then again with antibacterial and do the same and there will be no difference in the cleanliness.

Personally I just leave the spatula in the oil so that it should kill whatever is there. Not convinced it would get me a hygeine certificate though.

I got a food hygiene certificate a few years ago and the official requirement is for it to be cooked at 70+ degrees C for at least 2 minutes. If you're leaving the utensil in the pan at all whilst you cook, it'll be fine.

Edit: However there are options such as free range grass fed beef etc, but that stuff costs a BOMB and you have to ensure the source is good. I assume you can also get free range poultry that will have been raised similarly so carry less of the problems.

Letting animals roam free and feed on grass makes no difference whatsoever to the bacteria carried on and inside them.

The incident that the Guardian got all rabid about is more about the quantity of bacteria (because the conditions were ideal for it to multiply) and the possibility of it spreading to surfaces/machinery/etc. It all comes out in the wash so long as you're cooking food properly at home though.

 

[pitchfork]

People used to die by their mid thirties due to crappy medicine, infections, diseases which do not kill people often now. They didn't have better immune systems.

There might be an allergy related issue to being clean, half the problem now is people don't understand the difference in cleaning and disinfection.

You rub alcohol on a dirty surface and you can fix the proteins to that surface. You clean it first, then hit it with alcohol and you're well sorted.

No they didn't that is a common misconception - the average age of people was so low going back year because so many children died and so many worked themselves to an early grave in the fields.

It was generally accepted that if you lived until you were 5 then you'd live until you were an old man but often kids died due to poor sanitation - similar to what you'd see in an impoverished african village.

They had better immune systems because they weren't constantly sick, if we lived without modern sanitation you can bet your ass we'd both have the squits within a week and probably worse. That is how strong their immunity was going back to pre sanitation times.

Autoimmune disease is so prevalent in the developed world because people are so horrendously clean - you don't need to be this clean it's just busybodies and the companies making the cleaning products telling you that you do. Why do you think all the adverts are family based? It's people thinking "I will protect my children" when infact wrapping kids in cotton wool is a surefire way to ruin their natural immunity to a lot of things.

Living in a bubble is not a good thing period.

 

[Energize]

vCJD is more of a concern than this if you eat meat, total non news.

 

[Akagi]

Lol creative.

You are likely to get ill in a far more serious way if you cut meat out of your diet completely.

Unless of course you are taking supplement pills, in which case you'll be fine. But doesn't the fact that you have to take tablets to counteract your imbalanced diet point out that not eating meat is a bit daft?

 

[MichaelAwkward]

No they didn't that is a common misconception - the average age of people was so low going back year because so many children died and so many worked themselves to an early grave in the fields.

It's not that simple. Life expectancy was lower (although not that much lower in some cases) due to a combination of infant mortality, labour mortality and poor public health. More people of all ages (particularly children) died from diseases and infections that today can be cured with medication from Tesco.

 

[Energize]

Lol creative.

You are likely to get ill in a far more serious way if you cut meat out of your diet completely.

Unless of course you are taking supplement pills, in which case you'll be fine. But doesn't the fact that you have to take tablets to counteract your imbalanced diet point out that not eating meat is a bit daft?

That's a myth, there's no requirement to eat meat for a healthy diet.

 

[ubersonic]

Why does the U.K not have better food safety?

Ours is some of the best in the world, nothing is perfect.

 

[Akagi]

That's a myth, there's no requirement to eat meat for a healthy diet.

If it is it is only because other foodstuffs have tonnes of additives in them to make sure people don't kill themselves by eating beanburgers and chips every day.

 

[Freefaller]

Lol creative.

You are likely to get ill in a far more serious way if you cut meat out of your diet completely.

Unless of course you are taking supplement pills, in which case you'll be fine. But doesn't the fact that you have to take tablets to counteract your imbalanced diet point out that not eating meat is a bit daft?

As much as it pains me to side with Creative on this, you can live a perfectly healthy and well rounded lifestyle without meat. It's easier with meat in your diet for getting certain nutrients, but that does not mean to say you cannot be a healthy strong and athletic and fit person without meat.

 

[jsmoke]

As much as it pains me to side with Creative on this, you can live a perfectly healthy and well rounded lifestyle without meat. It's easier with meat in your diet for getting certain nutrients, but that does not mean to say you cannot be a healthy strong and athletic and fit person without meat.

Why "Easier", is that because you have to learn about other vegetables that give the same minerals as meat does or why else?

 

[Akagi]

As much as it pains me to side with Creative on this, you can live a perfectly healthy and well rounded lifestyle without meat. It's easier with meat in your diet for getting certain nutrients, but that does not mean to say you cannot be a healthy strong and athletic and fit person without meat.

Fair enough, you know more than I.

Is there any validity to my follow-up statement though? I remember reading something along those lines somewhen, and maybe even learning about it back in school.

 

[CREATIVE!11]

Hilarious! Next you'll be saying that your reliance of vitamin pills is good for you due to your diet imbalance. Next!

Seriously though, if you are that stupid to believe a news paper article at face value and decide life style changes on it, you honestly need your head testing.

I stopped eating meat over a year ago based on various sources a recent one which I posted, I need my head testing? I think someone needs reading lessons.

Letting animals roam free and feed on grass makes no difference whatsoever to the bacteria carried on and inside them.

Amazing, I won't even bother. You've cleared it all up for me now, I see the light.

As much as it pains me to side with Creative on this, you can live a perfectly healthy and well rounded lifestyle without meat. It's easier with meat in your diet for getting certain nutrients, but that does not mean to say you cannot be a healthy strong and athletic and fit person without meat.

Why you hating on me bro?

 

[Freefaller]

Why "Easier", is that because you have to learn about other vegetables that give the same minerals as meat does or why else?

Well it's no different to me as I love veg and studied nutrition so could happily live as a vegetarian. However, I enjoy meat and in particular I love fish - and enjoy eating it, preparing it and I can achieve my nutritional goals relatively easily without having to be too worried that I'm not getting all my essential amino acids and other vital vitamins. I enjoy them too much, and they offer too many benefits to my lifestyle to make me want to live without them.

That said, it's easy enough to do as a vegetarian if you alter your lifestyle to suit, however, people aren't willing to learn, and don't realise what foods they need to eat more of to make up the loss of certain nutrients (like iron, omega 3s and other EFAs, protein, vitamin D, typically are what many vegetarians are lacking on.) However they are easy to overcome if you're willing to learn/put the effort in.

 

[balky12]

Why "Easier", is that because you have to learn about other vegetables that give the same minerals as meat does or why else?

A little of that, you're diet would have to be formed of a wider spectrum than a normal person's if you cut out meat, to get the same nutrients.

Meats also contain high concentrate of certain nutrients, so you don't have to eat huge quantities to benefit. For example protein.

Also some nutrients are only found in meats.