People need to 'cook food through' on a barbecue

Property owners inviting people round for a barbecue need to make sure that they cook food properly on the grill before it is served up.

Russell Parry, from Advanced Food Safety Limited, told WiganToday.co.uk that levels of food poisoning rise during the summer months as many look to indulge in some alfresco eating.

He added that there are around 120,000 extra cases of illness recorded around the UK when the weather is warm, however, a number of simple steps can be taken to avoid food poisoning.

"People should not worry unduly about food poisoning and there are some simple common sense steps people can take to avoid getting ill. Just storing, handling and cooking food properly will minimise the risk," he commented.

The Food Standards Agency added that meat should be steaming hot all the way through, making sure that none of it is pink and any juices run clear.

Posted by Gordon Parry