Not everyone takes the right amount of care when grilling meat and fish, according to the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, which has launched a new information campaign on “safe eating”. 

According to the federal office, inadequate food hygiene results in 10,000 cases of food poisoning every year.

It says men aged between 18 and 30 are most affected by campylobacteriosis, one of the most common foodborne illnesses that can cause stomach cramps, diarrhoea, fever and pain. 

This is mainly due to lack of awareness of hygiene rules, says the federal office.

It hopes to reach young men in particular through an online and social media campaign.

The four golden rules of food hygiene that it lists are: separate foodstuffs correctly, heat to the right temperature, chill correctly and wash your hands properly.

“Often raw chicken is not kept separate from meat that has already been cooked,” said Eva van Beek of the federal office, quoted by 20 Minuten.

Dirk Bumann of the University of Basel Biozentrum molecular life sciences centre confirmed to the paper that young men tended to be “not well informed” about the health risks of undercooked meat.

“Even if the meat is black on the outside, if it is raw inside it still contains bacteria,” the expert said.