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

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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