How exposed are you to Campylobacter?

You can view it here.

80% of reported cases of food poisoning in the UK are caused by just one type of bacteria – Campylobacter. It’s present in around 70% of all fresh chicken sold in UK supermarkets today.

But you don’t just find Campylobacter on chicken. A recent Food Standards Agency report found that 7% of the outer packaging of chicken sold in supermarkets also tested positive for campylobacter.This means that if you put chicken in your shopping basket today, even if you cook the chicken thoroughly when you get home, you still have a real chance of picking up campylobacter on your hands from contaminated outer packaging.

Although the FSA’s study detected relatively small amounts of bacteria on the outer packaging, it only takes a very small amount of Campylobacter to make you ill. Once it’s been transferred from the fridge onto surfaces, utensils or hands, it can be spread to other surfaces and even directly on to ready to eat foods.Biomaster has created a new industry standard for the antimicrobial protection of the outside of chicken packaging to protect the consumer from the risk of campylobacter poisoning. This technology is available for film, trays and lids.

Biomaster has also developed the Biomaster antibacterial bag for life, available from your local supermarket later this year. The bag inhibits the growth of bacteria in your bag between shopping trips. The bag was also featured on the BBC1 consumer programme Rip Off Britain. Click here to see it on BBC iPlayer.

*Please note that Addmaster was acquired by the Polygiene Group AB in January 2021, so all news articles prior to that date will still be branded as Addmaster.