Does the nose know?

Ok, so can you tell just by smelling a food whether it is going to make you sick from food poisoning?

The answer is a very simple – no.

This is because most bacteria do not create a smell, so this is one test which will not stop us getting food poisoning.

However, there is now a hand held scanner available on line for anyone to purchase, which can help us work out if a meat is fresh.

The “FOODsniffer” can be used with beef, pork, chicken or fish to determine the amount of ammonia, temperature, humidity and other useful information. The results are sent using Bluetooth to a smart phone app to show if the product is fresh, needs to be well cooked or spoilt.

It can be used by businesses and consumers but it must be remembered that it is only a guide and will not prevent food poisoning.