More than a quarter of the Dutch who sometimes eat chicken, wash the raw chicken under the tap before preparation. This is apparent from research by the Nutrition Center, which points to the health risks of its use.
Research into this use has already been conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom, says Wieke van der Vossen, food safety expert at the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. “There was no data about the Netherlands. That was the reason to conduct research here as well.”
The Nutrition Center conducted two studies. The first food safety survey with more than 2000 respondents showed that 28 percent of the Dutch sometimes wash raw chicken. Especially Dutch people aged 56 to 69 do this. Furthermore, it appears to be more often men and Dutch people with a low socio-economic position.
In the second study, specifically focused on chicken and with more than 1000 respondents, almost 25 percent indicated that they often or almost always wash the chicken. “What we see is that many people have been given washing raw chicken at home: 42 percent of the respondents indicated this,” says Van der Vossen.
Risk of food poisoning increases
People wash the chicken because they find it more hygienic and want to “wash out bacteria”, writes the Nutrition Center. But doing so increases the risk of food poisoning. Campylobacter and Salmonella bacteria can be spread through water splashes and the juice from the raw chicken, for example on the kitchen counter. “So it’s better not to do it,” says the Nutrition Center.
The Nutrition Center does give tips on how to wash chicken more safely, for example by splashing as little as possible, cleaning the counter afterwards and washing your hands well.
If people still want to continue doing it, giving tips is more effective, says Van der Vossen about the advice. “This is apparent from foreign research where it was only said: don’t do it. If people say they like washed chicken better, it’s better not to brush their hair by telling them to stop.”
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