The majority of people wash raw chicken before they cook it. Yet, we are all aware that it contains dangerous bacteria, so it.

It is wise to be more cautious and rinse it off before you start cooking it. Yet, it seems that you have caused the opposite effects. Namely, the Food Standards Agency claims that the process of washing the chicken may spread the dangerous bacteria, instead of   disinfecting them.

Therefore, we will present you a few facts about this, to tell you why you should never wash the raw chicken before you cook it.

Bacteria in raw chicken are extremely harmful and can lead to serious illnesses. For instance, the major reasons for food poisoning in North America are two different bacteria types, campylobacter and salmonella, both found in raw chicken.

Salmonella is a group of bacteria that most often lives in the birds’ intestines. If one consumes food contaminated with salmonella, he will experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. In most cases, patients sick from salmonella exposure recover after a couple of day days.

Yet,  the situation may get much more complicated illnesses in other cases, and may even lead to death. For instance, it can cause septicaemia or blood poisoning.

Campylobacter is the major reason for diarrhea illness in the U.S., which leads to severe stomachache, and lasts for 10 days. Moreover, the exposure to campylobacter can also be the reason for the occurrence of other long- term effects, like arthritis and Guillan-Barre syndrome.

In the case of Guillan-Barre syndrome, the muscles are weakened, and the nervous system is negatively affected. Around 40% of Guillan-Barre syndrome cases in the United States have occurred due to campylobacter exposure.

The Food Standards Agency also adds that the campylobacter cannot be eliminated through water, and what’s more, it even spreads through water particles.

Therefore, cleaning your raw chicken with water can be far from useful, as if it is contaminated, your kitchen will quickly turn into a minefield of dangerous bacteria.

As advised by the Food Standards Agency, you need to cook the chicken as rigorously as possible, in order to ensure that you have eliminated all bacteria in it.

Moreover, it needs to be steaming hot before you serve it. Cut into the meat, see whether it is completely cooked, and whether all juices run clear.

Furthermore, keep your chicken at a temperature below 4 degrees Celsius, as if kept at a higher temperature, you will create a perfect breeding environment for harmful bacteria.

Source: familylifegoals.com

Other included sources linked in Family Life Goals’s article:
Food Standards Agency: https://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/campaigns/campylobacter/fsw-2014
Salmonella: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fs-sa/fs-fi/salmonella-eng.php
Campylobacter: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/campylobacter/#how_common