If you are wondering whether or not it is safe to buy turkey or goose for your Christmas dinner because of bird (avian) flu the answer from the expert at the Food Standards Authority is currently yes but consumers and cooks have been warned to cook poultry and eggs thoroughly to kill bugs and viruses.

The issued advice on the importance of thoroughly cooking poultry and eggs. This reiterates long-standing advice about cooking poultry and eggs thoroughly to kill bugs and viruses.

The European Food Safety Authority, and the UK's Food Standards Agency, are not aware of any reports of people getting avian flu from eating poultry or eggs and recognises that the current risk is from people having contact with live birds that have the disease.

The advice
The Agency considers that the outbreak of avian (bird) flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. For people, the risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating poultry. There have been no reports of people handling poultry meat getting infected. Poultry can include chicken, duck, goose, turkey and guinea fowl.

Questions and answers

Is it safe to eat poultry meat and eggs?
On the basis of current scientific evidence, our advice is that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. For people, the risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating cooked poultry or eggs. We are not aware of any reports of people handling poultry meat getting infected.

What evidence is this based on?
Our current advice is based upon the opinions of scientific experts around the world including advisors to the World Health Organization and the UK's leading independent microbiological advisory group, the Advisory Committee on Microbiological Safety in Food (ACMSF).The FSA has monitored developments since avian flu was first reported in the Far East six years ago. During that time, most human cases have had close contact with infected birds.We continue to monitor the most up-to-date information and evidence as it becomes available. The FSA will keep an open mind as to any information which may lead to our advice being updated. However, current scientific opinion agrees that avian flu is not a food safety risk.