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New Zealand Food Safety is urging people not to wash raw chicken, to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria.
We’ve always been told not to count our chickens, but now New Zealand Food Safety is asking Kiwis not to wash them before cooking.
According to New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle, it is a “myth” that washing raw chicken makes it safer to eat.
Instead, it
increases the risk of sickness from the spread of bacteria.
“When you rinse raw chicken under the tap, bacteria such as campylobacter can be spread in water droplets on to sinks, benches, utensils and other foods around the kitchen,” Arbuckle says.
Campylobacter causes campylobacteriosis, with symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain and vomiting.
Young, elderly, pregnant and immunocompromised people are also at higher risk of being hospitalised.
The organisation said the most common food source of campylobacteriosis is raw or undercooked chicken.
NZFS has worked to reduce the incidence of foodborne campylobacteriosis, caused by campylobacter bacteria, by more than 70% between 2006 and 2024.
“Our new goal is to drop this by another 15% by 2030, lowering the rate from 76 to 65 cases per 100,000 people,” Arbuckle said.
According to a recent NZFS survey, washing chicken is surprisingly common among Kiwi cooks: 67% of consumers who prepared chicken said they washed their raw chicken sometimes or always.
Only 21% fully agreed that they shouldn’t wash their chicken.
Renowned author, chef and Kiwi cooking tutor Celia Hay said washing chicken before cooking should “not be common” in New Zealand. For more than a decade, food safety training in the country has recommended people dry off chickens with a paper towel, if it is deemed necessary.
“We believe this recommendation to wash chicken has come from the US.”
Hay’s advice to prevent illness was to use a separate chopping board, and to wash your knife, hands and chopping board immediately after you have finished.
“Discard any chicken packaging and do not wash or [re-use] packaging. Be aware of cross-contamination of implements and surfaces, including your phone.”
Arbuckle said people should wash their hands with clean, soapy water for at least 20 seconds after handling raw chicken – and dry them on a clean towel so bacteria won’t spread.
Raw chicken should also be separated from ready-to-eat and fresh foods to prevent cross-contamination, and different plates and boards should be used for raw and cooked chicken.
No one likes chicken sashimi, so chicken should also be fully cooked to a temperature of more than 75C before serving.
For summer barbecues, turning the chicken often helps ensure it is evenly cooked.
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