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Listen to this siteMonday 22 December 2008
One in five of us will risk food poisoning this year by eating old turkey leftovers according to a survey by the Food Standards Agency.
The survey looked into the eating habits of UK consumers at Christmas and showed that 23% of people in Wales were most likely to keep turkey leftovers in the fridge for up to a week, way past the recommended two-day limit. While people in Scotland and the north east of England were the quickest to munch through their turkey leftovers, those in the south east of England kept theirs the longest.
Steve Wearne, Director of the Food Standards Agency in Wales said:
'We all hate to waste food, but by eating week-old turkey from the fridge, you could be asking for trouble. For the very young, elderly or those with an underlying illness, it could be fatal.
There are better ways of eating and storing leftover turkey which won’t expose you to festive food poisoning. Remember, if you’ve stored cooked turkey in the fridge, eat it within two days or if you want to make your turkey leftovers last longer, pop them in the freezer as soon as they’re cool. Although we all like to push the boat out at Christmas, try not buy more turkey than you need.'
The best way to avoid festive food poisoning this Christmas is to follow the 4 Cs of good food hygiene:
For more information on food safety at Christmas, including defrosting, cooking and storing, as well as recipes for leftover turkey, see the link below.
11th Floor, Southgate House,
Wood Street,
Cardiff CF10 1EW
Telephone: 02920 678916
Fax: 02920 678918/9
Email:
caroline.kitson@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
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