More than 250,000 people could be struck down by Campylobacter this year.

It is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK. You can’t see it, smell it or even taste it on food, but if it affects you and you most definitely won’t forget it.

The key messages being promoted by the campaign are:

• Don’t wash raw chicken; washing raw chicken can spread germs by splashing them onto hands, work surfaces, clothing and cooking equipment.

• Thorough cooking will kill any bacteria present.

• About four in five cases of campylobacter infections in the UK come from contaminated poultry.

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council has joined forces with the Food Standards Agency to make the fight against this infection the centre of this year's Food Safety Week which will end on Sunday.

The Council's safety team has enlisted the help of local butchers to help spread the message to customers.

Pre-schools, nurseries, GP surgeries and lunch clubs have all been issued leaflets and posters containing the key messages of the campaigns.

Cllr Brian Luker, the Council’s cabinet member for Environmental Services, says: “If you can picture the Olympic stadium at the London 2012 opening ceremony filled to bursting point with spectators and then multiply that huge crowd by three, you’ll be getting close to the number of people who will be affected.

"It’s important that we do our part to make sure that people know to handle and cook food safely for themselves and for their families.

"We’re proud to be keeping people safe by being part of this campaign to spread the word – and not the germs.” - Cllr Brian Luker

In Tonbridge and Malling, there were 182 reported cases of Campylobacter from March 2013 to March 2014. These accounted for 77 per cent of all reported cases of food poisoning in the borough, with many more cases being un-reported.

The FSA is working to bring together the whole food chain to reduce future risk.

Farmers and producers are being asked to attempt to reduce the amount of bacteria on their poultry, and consumers will be the judges of any progress, or lack of progress, that they make.

Bob Martin, head of Foodborne Disease Strategy at the Food Standards Agency said:
“This is a serious problem and we are calling on the whole industry to act together to tackle Campylobacter."

Advice is available at www.food.gov.uk/chicken.

See the FSA’s video on kitchen safety at www.food.gov.uk/youtube.