冷冻肉制品可杀灭致命病菌

Freezing meat once it is home from the supermarket could kill deadly bugs¹. 一回家就把从超市买的肉制品冷冻起来可以杀灭其中致命的病菌。   The process of freezing meat kills up to 90 percent of campylobacter cells.   Campylobacter bugs can cause stomach upsets, vomiting² and diarrhoea.    Families should freeze and defrost chicken if they want to avoid food poisoning, a health chief said yesterday.   Six in every 10 chickens sold by supermarkets contain potentially lethal³ bugs that infect half a million people a year.   Around 100 of the victims die from vomiting and stomach upsets.   For decades, retailers⁴ and officials have known that campylobacter is rife⁵ on poultry⁶ farms but have failed to take action.    Instead an official at Public Health England suggests consumers can help protect themselves by freezing chicken after purchase and thoroughly⁷ defrosting it before cooking.    Frieda Jorgensen said: ‘Consumers will reduce their exposure of campylobacter if they eat frozen chicken instead of fresh chicken.’   Thoroughly cooking poultry makes it safe but the disease still infects a huge number of people, costing the British economy an estimated £9million a year in health costs and missed work hours.   The freezing process adds an extra level of security in the event of undercooked meat.