Is washing the chicken really the problem?
An experiment that shows how contamination travels from raw chicken to ready-to-eat food, and what its findings mean for kitchens and food businesses.
Whether participants washed the raw chicken or not, bacteria reached the salad for some of them in a US Department of Agriculture experiment.
We start from this question, then read what the inspector looks for in the kitchen, and add picks from the safety and compliance news.
Who carried the bacteria to the salad?
In a US Department of Agriculture experiment run with North Carolina State University, participants prepared raw chicken and a salad in test kitchens. Bacteria were then measured on the salad and in the sink:
The two rates are close: washing did not protect the salad, and skipping the wash was not enough on its own. USDA says the contamination among non-washers was likely due to ineffective handwashing and a contaminated sink and utensils.
The experiment involved 300 people in test kitchens, so it should not be read as a rate for commercial kitchens. What it means for your kitchen: the restaurant requirements prohibit washing raw meat and poultry so that contamination does not spread. What matters most is separating utensils and washing hands.
What does the inspector look for?
From the restaurant requirements, a short checklist you can start with today:
75°C is the minimum core temperature for cooking raw food (Article 5.5.6). Lower temperatures are accepted for some meats and fish, provided the surface is cooked enough to kill bacteria. Heat alone does not remove the risk of cross-contamination.
Numbers and news from the field
Out of 1,542,294 establishments covered by inspection rounds. The source does not break these figures down by type of establishment, so they should not be read as restaurant figures alone.
Globally, around 866 million people fall ill each year from contaminated food, according to the World Health Organization (4 June 2026).
Who sets the rules, and who enforces them?
Three bodies with different roles in restaurant food safety:
Your closest reference is the ministry’s restaurant requirements (2025), which cover restaurants, cafés, cloud kitchens and kiosks.
Three health certificates every minute
Nearly 1.63 million health certificates were issued to workers in 2025. They are issued online through the Balady platform, and this is the path:
Tracking each worker’s renewal date is part of your establishment’s compliance.
Food safety news picks
A US company recalled more than 1.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry that may have been exposed to improper temperatures.
Food Safety News · 17 October 2026An E. coli outbreak in the United States has reached at least 50 cases, and the wraps were pulled from shelves in nine states.
Food Safety News · 24 October 2026After raw chicken
Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds immediately after touching raw meat or chicken.
Which requirement is unclear for your establishment?
Send your question to editorial@saudifoodtech.sa, and we may dedicate a future issue to it.
Sources
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, 2025 inspection report, via Al Watan (28 June 2026).
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, Restaurant Requirements (1446 AH / 2025).
- Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, health certificate requirements, via Al Watan (15 June 2026) and Okaz (16 June 2026).
- Saudipedia, Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
- USDA, “Washing Raw Poultry: Our Science, Your Choice” (20 August 2019), and observational study summary (Year 2).
- World Health Organization, news release (4 June 2026).
- Food Safety News (17 October 2026 and 24 October 2026).
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