Industry launches campy website to reassure consumers
©Rex A consortium of farming, retailer and government bodies has launched a website to increase the “awareness and transparency” of what is being done to fight campylobacter.
It comes a week after the poultry industry was placed under renewed pressure to be more open about the work it is doing to combat the bug. National newspapers made accusations that testing had been withheld and consumer rights body Which? called for immediate publication of all results available.
The joint working group on campylobacter appears to have responded, though it began building the site before last week’s poor press coverage. Second quarter results of campylobacter testing, which will rank supermarkets’ individual contamination levels, are also expected to be released in the coming days.
See also: Retailers take steps to reduce campylobacter impact
Its new website gives answers to frequently asked questions on campy, lists press releases covering new interventions and offers consumer advice on preparing chicken.
Results of Food Standards Agency testing will also be posted on the site.
Richard McDonald, chairman of the joint working group on campylobacter, said it was a significant step in reassuring consumers that industry was working hard.
“The British poultrymeat industry, FSA, Defra, NFU and retailers have been working together since 2009 to understand this global issue and identify the means to tackle it.
“This website is a central resource for anyone wanting to understand more about the work the group has undertaken and to keep updated on developments.”
He added the group was confident the “right mix of interventions” would be found to bring campylobacter levels under control.