Vacuum-packed chicken washes up on beaches

Police said some of the packs washed up on Westward Ho! beach

A warning has been issued after vacuum-packed chicken washed up on beaches across part of north Devon.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were first notified at 01:40 BST to about five packs of chicken washed up in Westward Ho! and its surrounding beaches.

The force said it appeared a crate had fallen off a boat and the Environment Agency (EA) had been informed.

Bideford Police warned people not to take home any of the chicken as it would not be fit for consumption and to be careful if walking a dog in the area.

A spokesperson for EA said one of its officers had attended Westward Ho! after it received reports of the incident.

"We did not spot any chickens at the reported location but are monitoring the situation," the spokesperson added.

Torridge District Council said its Public Health and Community Safety Team advised anyone who found a packet to dispose of it responsibly.

What is vacuum packaging?

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said vacuum packaging (VP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) can increase the shelf-life of chilled food by limiting the growth of microorganisms.

But it added under circumstances a bacterium called non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) can grow in the absence of oxygen.

"This bacterium is able to grow and produce a harmful toxin at temperatures of 3C (37.4F) and above," the FSA said.

"It is important that VP/MAP chilled foods have appropriate controls in place to minimise the risk of this organism growing and producing harmful levels of toxin."