Warning about most risky food prep mistake that EVERYONE makes - it could be deadly, say food safety chiefs

Food information experts person warned against relying connected the 'sniff test' to cheque if nutrient is harmless to eat.

It whitethorn odor and look good contempt being teeming with harmful and adjacent perchance deadly bacteria, according to a caller alert by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The informing comes arsenic a survey commissioned by the assemblage recovered that astir 3 quarters of radical successful the UK usage a sniff trial to cheque if beverage and yoghurt are harmless to eat, portion 2 thirds bash the aforesaid for fish.

'The "sniff test" is not an due method for investigating whether the nutrient is harmless to devour oregon navigator with,' work the FSA alert.

'This is due to the fact that nutrient tin look and odor good adjacent aft the use-by day has passed, but the merchandise volition not beryllium harmless to devour and could origin nutrient poisoning owed to harmful bacteria which we cannot spot oregon smell.'

The study besides highlighted different alarming nutrient hygiene mistakes that location cooks are regularly making.

Around 2 thirds of respondents to the survey said they'd devour yoghurt, beverage oregon cooked meats that were past their use-by dates. 

Meanwhile, astir 40 per cent said they'd lavation earthy chickenhearted erstwhile preparing it. 

 'Doing this tin splash harmful bacteria onto your hands, enactment surfaces, ready-to-eat foods, and cooking equipment,' the FSA warned.

Some of the much affirmative findings successful the study showed that 94 per cent of respondents would ne'er devour sausages erstwhile they are pinkish oregon person pinkish juices.

The bulk of respondents reported that they ever cheque use-by dates earlier they navigator oregon hole food.

Use by dates bespeak the past day nutrient is considered harmless to eat, portion 'best before' dates subordinate to nutrient quality, and archer you erstwhile the nutrient is astatine its highest flavour and texture.

A merchandise whitethorn inactive beryllium harmless to devour aft the champion earlier day has expired.

The findings travel a shocking Government study detailing the alarming grade of nutrient poisoning outbreaks successful the UK implicit the past year.

This included a question of deadly E.coli linked to contaminated supermarket sandwiches that killed two, hospitalised much than 100 and sickened astir 300.

Experts warned that the lettuce successful the luncheon staple was to blame, arsenic it had apt travel into interaction with harmful bacteria successful h2o tainted with infected carnal faeces.

 The circumstantial strain of E.coli liable for the outbreak is known to trigger bloody diarrhoea arsenic good arsenic a perchance deadly kidney information called terrible haemolytic uraemic syndrome. 

According to 2022 figures published by the FSA, determination are astir 2.4million cases of nutrient poisoning successful the UK each year. 

This is much than treble the 2009 estimation of astir 1 million. 

While astir radical volition endure a mild unwellness that resolves successful a fewer days, immoderate tin go earnestly unwell, requiring infirmary treatment.

In the astir vulnerable, specified arsenic large women and radical with underlying illnesses, food-borne bacteria similar E.coli, salmonella and listeria tin beryllium deadly.

Hospital admittance for salmonella infections reached 1,468 betwixt 2022 and 2023, NHS information shows, a complaint of 3 admissions for each 100,000 people, an all-time high. 

According to the FSA, 37 per cent of nutrient poisoning cases tin beryllium attributed to eating out, takeaways 26 per cent and supermarket lettuce astir 30 per cent.