With gourmet burgers in restaurants becoming increasingly popular, Burnley Council has joined a national Food Standards Agency campaign to highlight the dangers of burgers that are not cooked all the way through.

The council is reminding residents that burgers are made of minced meat, so any bacteria, on the outside of the whole piece of meat, are mixed up throughout burgers when the meat is minced.

If bacteria are mixed into the middle of the burger and it isn’t cooked all the way through, the bacteria can survive and cause food poisoning. That’s why a burger should be thoroughly cooked all the way through.

Jayne Enright, Burnley Council’s principal environmental health officer for food safety, said: “We want local residents to be informed with the right knowledge they need to enjoy a good barbecue without getting ill.

“Children, elderly and poorly people in your family in particular run the risk of getting food poisoning, or even worse – a life threatening illness – through serving a less than well-cooked burger at your barbecue this weekend.

“I’d encourage people to follow the Food Standards Agency’s advice and remember the bank holiday for all the right reasons.”

Come rain or shine this bank holiday weekend, the FSA is reminding everybody to cook burgers so they are hot all the way through, check that none of it is pink and that any juices run clear.

Also, avoid cross-contamination by storing raw meat separately before cooking, using different utensils, plates and chopping boards for raw and cooked food.

Find out more about the FSA’s top barbecue tips at www.food.gov.uk/burgers.