Campylobacter: Sources and Controls

Campylobacter is one of Australia's most commonly reported causes of foodborne gastroenteritis, and raw and undercooked poultry is the leading source. It spreads easily through cross-contamination from raw chicken juices to ready-to-eat food, hands and surfaces. You control it by keeping raw poultry separate, cooking chicken to a safe core temperature, and cleaning and sanitising thoroughly. This guide explains the sources, symptoms and the practical controls your kitchen needs. Key takeaways: Raw and undercooked poultry is the main source of Campylobacter in Australia; most raw chicken can carry it.. Cross-contamination from raw chicken juices to ready-to-eat food, hands and surfaces is the biggest kitchen risk.. Cook poultry until the core reaches at least 75°C, checked with a clean, calibrated probe.. Do not wash raw chicken - it splashes bacteria around your sink and benches.. Separate raw and ready-to-eat food, and clean then sanitise all contact surfaces and equipment.. What Campylobacter is and why it matters Campylobacter is a bacterium that causes campylobacteriosis, one of the most frequently notified foodborne illnesses in Australia. It needs only a small number of cells to make someone sick, which makes cross-contamination especially dangerous - a few drops of raw chicken juice on a salad can be enough. The bacteria live in the gut of many animals, particularly poultry, and are passed on when contaminated food is eaten raw, undercooked, or after contact with raw meat. For food businesses, Campylobacter is a hazard you must actively manage through your food safety program, because it is common, easily spread, and can cause serious complications in vulnerable people. Where Campylobacter comes from Understanding the sources helps you target your controls. In Australian kitchens, raw poultry is the dominant source, but it is not the only one. Raw and undercooked chicken and other poultry - the leading source, as a large proportion of raw poultry naturally carries the bacteria.. Cross-contamination from raw poultry juices onto ready-to-eat foods, salads, cooked meats, benches, boards and utensils.. Unpasteurised (raw) milk and products made from it.. Untreated or contaminated water.. Raw or undercooked red meat and offal, and contact with live animals or their environment.. Hands that have handled raw poultry and were not washed before touching other food.. Symptoms and who is most at risk Symptoms of campylobacteriosis usually appear a few days after exposure and typically last about a week. Recognising them helps you respond to staff illness and possible outbreaks. Common symptoms include diarrhoea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, fever, nausea and general aches. Most healthy adults recover without specific treatment, but dehydration can be a concern. In a small number of cases, infection can lead to more serious complications, including reactive arthritis and, rarely, Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nerve condition. Young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously unwell. Any food handler with diarrhoea or vomiting must not work with food until cleared - confirm exclusion periods with your state or territory regulator. Control 1: Separate raw poultry from everything else Because so much raw chicken carries Campylobacter, treat all raw poultry as contaminated and stop it touching anything that will not be cooked afterwards. Cross-contamination is the failure point in most Campylobacter incidents, so physical separation is your first line of defence. Store raw poultry below and away from ready-to-eat food in the fridge, in sealed containers so juices cannot drip.. Use separate, clearly identified boards, knives and utensils for raw poultry - colour coding helps.. Prepare raw poultry at a different time or bench from ready-to-eat food, and never plate cooked food on a surface that held raw chicken.. Keep raw poultry cold at 5°C or below to limit any growth while it waits to be cooked.. Control 2: Cook poultry thoroughly Cooking is the step that reliably kills Campylobacter. Poultry must reach a safe core temperature all the way through - colour alone is not a reliable guide, as chicken can look done while the centre is still undercooked. Check the thickest part with a clean, sanitised probe thermometer, and allow the reading to stabilise. Cook poultry until the core (thickest part) reaches at least 75°C.. For whole birds, probe the deepest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone.. Check several pieces in a batch, not just one.. Clean and sanitise the probe between uses so it does not spread bacteria.. Reheat cooked chicken to at least 75°C before serving hot.. Control 3: Do not wash raw chicken Washing raw chicken under the tap does not make it safer and actively spreads risk. The water splashes Campylobacter and other bacteria onto your sink, taps, benches, splashbacks and nearby food, creating new contamination points that are easy to miss. Cooking to 75°C at the core removes surface bacteria, so rinsing achieves nothing useful. If you need to trim or pat poultry dry, do it carefully to contain juices, then clean and sanitise the area immediately. This is a simple habit change that removes a genuine hazard from your kitchen. Control 4: Clean, sanitise and wash hands Effective cleaning followed by sanitising breaks the chain after raw poultry has been handled. Cleaning removes visible soil and grease; sanitising then reduces bacteria on the surface to a safe level. Both steps matter - sanitiser does not work properly on a dirty surface. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water after handling raw poultry, and dry with single-use towel.. Clean then sanitise boards, knives, benches, sinks and equipment that contacted raw poultry before using them for other food.. Use a sanitiser correctly - follow the product's contact time and dilution instructions.. Launder or replace cloths regularly; a contaminated cloth wipes bacteria across the kitchen.. Keep the 2-hour/4-hour rule in mind for any cooked poultry held out of temperature control.. Checklist: Raw poultry stored sealed, below ready-to-eat food, at 5°C or below. Separate colour-coded boards and utensils in use for raw poultry. Probe thermometer clean, calibrated (accurate to about ±1°C) and used on core. Poultry cooked to at least 75°C in the thickest part. No raw chicken being washed at the sink. Hands washed after handling raw poultry. Contact surfaces cleaned then sanitised after raw poultry preparation. Sick food handlers excluded until cleared. Common mistakes: Judging doneness by colour instead of a core temperature of 75°C. Washing raw chicken and splashing bacteria across the sink and benches. Using the same board or knife for raw chicken and ready-to-eat food. Storing raw poultry above salads or cooked food so juices can drip down. Sanitising a surface without cleaning it first. Not washing hands between handling raw poultry and touching other food.