Scotland recruits giant pink chicken for food safety campaign

It’s not what Australians call summer, but when temperatures in Scotland hit double figures and the sun occasionally peeks through the cloud cover, northern thoughts turn to summer activities like barbecues and picnics.

To stop summer fun turning into an extended vacation on the bathroom floor, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has launched the food safety campaign ‘Nothing spoils summer like Pink Chicken’.

This memorable campaign will see a pink chicken (or at least a person dressed in a chicken suit of the appropriate hue) travel around Scotland creating mayhem and ‘spoiling summer’.

The campaign has been created in response to evidence showing that increases in barbecuing and chicken purchase and consumption during June–August coincide with peaks in Campylobacter infection, the most common form of food poisoning in Scotland.

There are more than 6000 reported Campylobacter cases in Scotland each year, with some estimates putting the actual figure at nine times as many due to underreporting of the illness. Research has shown that 60–80% of Campylobacter infections in the country can be attributed to a chicken source.

FSS Head of Foodborne Disease Dr Jacqui McElhiney said: “Nothing spoils summer like food poisoning, and our latest campaign highlights some simple steps everyone can take to reduce the risk of becoming ill through eating chicken that hasn’t been prepared or cooked properly.”

With the help of the giant pink chicken, the FSS hopes to educate Scottish consumers with some key food safety messages, including:

• Always make sure there’s no pink meat, the juices run clear and it’s cooked to 75°C.
• When cooking on the barbecue, make sure coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface, as this means they’re hot enough.
• Put larger pieces and bone-in cuts on the barbecue first to make sure they have enough time to cook.
• Before serving, check that there is no pink meat and that it’s steaming hot in the centre.
• Use separate tongs, utensils and plates for raw and cooked chicken, and regularly wash hands.