FOOD safety warnings are being served up to ensure people continue to enjoy safe barbecues in Sedgemoor.

With the last long weekend of the summer coming up, Sedgemoor District Council and the Food
Standards Agency (FSA) are warning that cases of food poisoning almost double over the summer months.

Research shows that the undercooking of raw meat and the contamination of bacteria onto the food we eat are among the main reasons.

The FSA message is that you can still be safetyconscious and sensational all at the same time.

The top tips include:

- Charred doesn’t mean cooked

- Pre-cook meat or poultry in the oven then finish it off on the barbecue for flavour

- Ensure all meat is properly cooked by cutting into it and checking it is steaming hot all the way
through, that none of it is pink and any juices run clear

- Disposable barbecues take longer

- Avoid crosscontamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking

- Use different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food

- Don’t wash raw chicken or other meat – it just splashes germs.