With the World Cup starting this weekend and, with any luck some good weather, people may soon be planning barbecues and picnics. Unfortunately more outdoors eating contributes to an extra 120,000 food poisoning cases over summer barbeque season. Enough people to fill two World Cups stadiums twice over!I attended a Food Standards Agency event in Parliament today to understand what the Government’s food industry regulator is doing to reducing the number of cases of food poisoning.I will be doing all I can to make sure food security a top priority for the Government. With food shortage becoming an increasingly urgent and global threat we need to be growing and rearing our own food; and for this we need to support our farmers, encourage people to buy British produce, ensure that it is of the highest quality and that it is environmentally responsible.By supporting British farmers we can help reverse the decline of our rural economy and community. Buying high quality British goods does not just make economic sense but it also allows us to better trace food production and processing and make sure that high standards are maintained.However, there is good news too, especially if you are planning a barbecue soon then the Agency advises that there are some simple steps that you can take to reduce the risk of food poisoning by:

• Always making sure that chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs are cooked until steaming hot all the way through, none of the meat should be pink and any juices must run clear.
• Avoid cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat food: wash hands immediately before handling ready to eat food and especially after touching raw meat and clean surfaces and utensils straightaway.
• If barbecuing lots of meat it can be cooked in the oven first and then finished off on the barbecue for added flavour, always making sure its steaming hot all the way through before serving.