Hello everyone! Today, I want to talk about something very important – keeping our food safe! Over in Norway, people have been keeping an extra eye on chickens used for food (called broiler flocks) to see if they carry a germ called Campylobacter. While there’s been a slight increase in 2023, it’s still quite rare.
Imagine examining 2,100 chicken flocks from 505 farms – sounds like a big job, right? That’s exactly what experts in Norway did! Out of all of them, 83 farms had at least one group of chickens that were confirmed to have Campylobacter, and some had more than one. When chickens have this bacteria, you need to have their meat cooked in high heat really well (to cleanse it from the bacteria) or have it frozen for at least three weeks before it can be sold.
All this work to check the chickens is part of a plan they’ve been executing since 2001. The Norwegian Food Safety Authority takes care of this massive responsibility with help from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, who perform all the tests and reports to everyone what they found.
While this is a very low increase, the levels of Campylobacter in Norwegian chickens are significantly lower than other places in Europe which is great! But did you know that Campylobacteriosis is the most common bacteria-related illness in Norway? In fact, about 3,000 people got sick from it in 2023 alone. It happens when people eat raw chicken meat. So, as a public advisory, always make sure to cook your chicken really well!
Now, let’s talk about barbecues and grilled food – we know they’re absolutely delicious, right? But you have to keep in mind that when you grill, especially fatty meat like pork ribs and hamburgers, certain unhealthy chemicals can begin to form. These are called genotoxic and carcinogenic substances. The main ones are HAA and PAH, and there’s a higher chance of them appearing in grilled food rather than fried food.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority took the initiative and wanted to make sure we all know the best practices to grill meat without the risk of running into these harmful substances. So they had experts look into it. And their advice is that people shouldn’t worry too much about the risks from grilling. However, it is important to find alternative ways to grill that don’t create these chemicals.
Another interesting research Norway is looking into is a parasite called Echinococcus multilocularis. This tiny little organism can be usually found inside animals like foxes and wolves. If eggs from this parasite manage to get into our food or water, we can get sick from a disease called echinococcosis, which is pretty serious if not treated immediately. Norway will reveal more about their research in June 2024.
Isn’t it interesting to learn all about how we can keep our food safe and enjoy it without having to worry? Keep in mind, cooking food the right way and being careful with how we grill can be all the difference we need to be healthy. Stay safe and happy eating!