New survey from Safefood reveals significant gaps in kitchen hygiene practices among Irish home cooks. Launched today as part of its Clean As You Go campaign, Safefood is urging busy households to adopt simple, practical habits to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria and safeguard family health.

The new survey shows that while 90% of adults feeling confident in their kitchen cleaning, only 25% consistently follow key cleaning practices. This perception-practice gap creates a silent risk of cross-contamination in everyday food preparation, further supported by 63% of adults underestimating that food poisoning bacteria can survive on surfaces – like phones and worktops – for more than 24 hours.

Key findings from the Safefood survey highlight areas of particular concern:

• Dishcloths are a hidden hazard as nearly two-thirds of Irish adults (64%) say they are not replacing dishcloths and sponges at least every 2 days. Damp cloths are prime breeding grounds for harmful bacteria, posing a direct risk of spreading germs.
• With over a third (37%) of people frequently using mobile phones while cooking, a concerning 74% are failing to wash hands both before and after touching their device – creating a direct pathway for bacteria transfer to food or other surfaces.
• Over 4 in 10 people say they don’t wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw food risking cross-contamination.

“People in Ireland feel confident in keeping their kitchen clean but this survey shows that confidence does not always reflect what is happening in practice,” says Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, CEO of Safefood. “Everyday habits, particularly the use of mobile phones during food preparation, are creating risks that can lead to food poisoning illness. We know from our previous Smart Devices research that harmful bacteria can survive on the screen of a smart device for more than 24 hours. As our advertising shows, if you could see harmful bacteria spread – you would Clean As You Go.”

Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety at Safefood, adds, ” With almost three quarters of people unsure how long food poisoning bacteria can survive on surfaces, the findings highlight ongoing risks around cross-contamination in the kitchen. This campaign is about showing people how easily harmful bacteria can spread on to food, utensils, surfaces and even your loved ones.”

The Safefood “Clean as You Go” campaign shows how easily harmful bacteria spread from raw food to hands, surfaces, utensils and mobile phones during food preparation. It aims to encourage home cooks to follow these steps to keep your kitchen clean and protect your family:

• Always wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after handling utensils or raw meat, poultry, fish, or eggs; dry with a clean towel.
• Replace dishcloths or sponges for clean ones at least every 2 days. Dirty ones are a major source of bacteria.
• Wash chopping boards thoroughly after contact with raw foods. Never flip a board.
• Clean kitchen surfaces with hot soapy water immediately after preparing raw food.
• If using your phone during cooking, clean your hands thoroughly before and after touching it.

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Joanne joins Safefood from the Department of Health (IE), where she served as Head of Population Health Screening and Cardiovascular Policy. Her career also includes 16 years at University College Cork’s School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, where she was Director of the Food Industry Training Unit.

Reflecting on her appointment, Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, CEO of Safefood, said: “The work of Safefood is a cornerstone of the all-island health and food safety infrastructure, and I am delighted to lead an implementation body that remains central to North-South cooperation. Growing up in a border community, I have a deep appreciation for the vital role these partnerships play. My goal is to leverage my experience in both the food and health sectors to drive organisational growth while maintaining the strong, collaborative links I have built with colleagues in both the Department of Health in Dublin and the Department of Health in Belfast.”

Trained as both a chemist and a psychologist, Uí Chrualaoich brings a unique “science-meets-behaviour” approach to the agency’s mandate. This dual expertise is critical to Safefood’s mission of transforming rigorous scientific evidence into practical, trusted advice for the public.

“Everything we achieve depends on trust – trust in science, in institutions, and in the messages people receive,” Joanne continues. “My background helps me bridge those worlds. It allows me to anchor our work in scientific evidence while also understanding how people interpret information and how behaviours changes.”

Under Uí Chrualaoich’s leadership, Safefood is prioritising the development of its first long-term strategy, Safefood 2036. This project aims to look beyond immediate work programmes to address how rapid changes in technology, supply chains, and consumer habits will impact public health over the next decade.

“The organisation is at a point of real maturity,” Joanne explained. “It’s the right moment to step back and ask ourselves what our long-term goal should be. Safefood 2036 is about thinking boldly. We will listen to our partners, the food industry, academia and critically the public to ensure our work remains credible, relevant, and focused on improving lives across the island.”

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Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD, launching the exhibition said : “Food-related ill-health is an escalating problem, putting our future health at real risk. With one in five children now living with overweight or obesity, we see every day how hard it is for families to make healthy choices in a food environment full of constant, aggressive marketing.

This Safefood exhibition illustrates a powerful call for change from communities across Ireland. Their ideas and experiences will help guide us to make the bold changes needed to transform our food system and give every child the chance of a healthier future.”

The series of 24 illustrations, created by award-winning artist Steve Doogan, bring to life the insights of people across the island who participated in Safefood’s Citizen Engagement workshops in late 2025. These visuals highlight a landscape currently “overflowing” with cheap, heavily marketed unhealthy options and contrast it with a community-led vision for change.

Speaking at the exhibition in Dublin, Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, newly Appointed CEO at Safefood, said: “The single most important thing we want people to take from these illustrations is that there is a real, collective appetite for change. Our food environment is everything around us, from the shops on our high street to the digital ads on our phones, and currently, it means making a healthy choice is often much harder to make.

These illustrations show that people from diverse communities and backgrounds all want a system that supports their health rather than working against it, with more affordable, accessible, healthy food for everyone.”

Common themes identified by participants included a yearning for “main streets of the past” with local grocers and butchers, a call for stricter regulation on marketing to children, and a desire for supermarkets to be redesigned to make healthy food more visible.

The exhibition, which took place on Wednesday 4th February at the Chartered Accountants Ireland House on Pearse Street, marked the official conclusion of a year-long engagement programme with local communities. The event was hosted by broadcaster Philip Boucher-Hayes and featured a high-level expert panel discussion on the policy and societal changes required to achieve this vision. The panel included: Anna Taylor, Executive Director, The Food Foundation in the UK; Donal O’Shea, Specialist in Obesity; Denise Cahill, Healthy Cities Coordinator, Cork City; and Kathryn Walsh, Director of Policy & Advocacy, National Youth Council.

“By working together; government, communities, partners and citizens, can create a food environment that supports health, protects all especially children, and makes the healthy choice the easy choice.” Joanne continued.

The ‘Appetite for Change’ exhibition and accompanying report aim to stimulate wider conversations among the public and policymakers. By highlighting lived experiences and structural constraints, Safefood seeks to ensure that future policy discussions regarding Ireland’s food systems are rooted in the views of its citizens.

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• Food poisoning bacteria, like Salmonellaand coli., can survive on the screen of a smartphone or tablet device for more than 24 hours.
• 1 in 3 participants didn’t wash their hands after touching raw chicken before touching a smart device.
• Participants touched their smart devices on average almost six times when cooking.
• Using antibacterial wipes containing alcohol can significantly reduce the contamination on smart device surfaces.

New safefood research has revealed the hidden food safety risks of using smartphones or tablet devices while cooking with these smart gadgets capable of hosting food poisoning bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli for more than 24 hours.

The study of over 500 participants highlighted the pressing need for improved food hygiene practices when handling smart devices in kitchens across in Northern Ireland.

Salmonella and E. coli are two common types of food poisoning bugs in Northern Ireland and symptoms of food poisoning can include stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting. Some people, especially young children, pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system and older people can get very ill and may need hospital treatment.

The research found that one in three of participants neglected to wash their hands after handling raw poultry and before touching a smart device, while the majority (74%) didn’t wash their hands after handling raw eggs, prior to using their smart devices.

During a 30-minute practical cooking assessment, the study observed that participants frequently used their smart devices as they cooked, touching them nearly six times on average. After cooking, around 6% of pre-cleaned smart devices were found to be contaminated with potentially food poisoning bacteria.

Introducing the research, Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety with safefood said “From searching for recipes to watching cooking tutorials or capturing moments for social media, smart devices like smartphones or tablets have become indispensable tools for many during meal preparation. Given the widespread use of these devices in the kitchen, people should be aware of the possible food safety risks. Our research found that food poisoning bacteria, like Salmonella and E.coli., can survive on the screen of a smart device for more than 24 hours”

Dr Mairead McCann, Technical Executive at safefood continued “Nobody wants to spread potential food-poisoning bugs around kitchen surfaces or on to already-cooked foods. This new research is a helpful reminder to home cooks of the potential risks associated with smart devices in the kitchen and the importance of good food safety in the home. Following good habits like regular and proper hand washing and cleaning and disinfection of smart devices can help with reducing cross-contamination when you are cooking and using them,

safefood’s top tips for good food safety habits while using a smart device in the kitchen.

Wash hands before and after cooking.

Clean hands are important to help stop cross-contamination between your smart device and ingredients when cooking. Before and between handling ingredients and your smart device, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap, drying with a clean hand towel.

Clean worktop before and after cooking with a smart device

When using a smart device while cooking, placing your device on an unclean kitchen worktop could spread harmful bacteria. Always wash kitchen worktops with hot soapy water before and after preparing food. Cleaning as you go will help reduce cross-contamination and keep your workspace clear.

Disinfect your smart device before and after cooking.

Before you start cooking, disinfect your smart device to help reduce potential cross-contamination. It’s important to also disinfect your smart device after cooking if you have handled raw ingredients such as meat, poultry, or eggs. Always follow your manufacturers’ instructions before doing so. Using antibacterial wipes (containing at least 70% alcohol) can significantly reduce the contamination on smart device surfaces. When disinfecting, pay close attention to the screen, buttons, and edges.

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The new research by safefood has revealed that eight in ten people in Ireland agree that so-called “junk” food advertising aimed at children should be banned (80.2%), while almost seven in ten (69.4%) of respondents’ support restrictions on marketing of unhealthy foods to adults.

In particular, the research revealed high levels of public acceptance for policies that supported healthier food environments for children. These included educational campaigns focusing on children in school; healthier vending machines in schools; and new restrictions on developing fast-food outlets near schools. Meanwhile, just under half (47.3%) think portion sizes in restaurants and fast-food outlets should be restricted as a measure to address obesity.

The research also reveals that 80% of people recognise that obesity poses a serious public health challenge. Previous safefood research had estimated that overweight and obesity was costing the island’s economy approximately €1.6 billion per year in direct and indirect costs.

1 in 5 primary school children in Ireland have overweight or obesity. Among adults, 60% live with overweight (37%) or obesity (23%).

The research coincided with the All-Island Obesity Action Forum hosted in Belfast by safefood in partnership with the Departments of Health in both Ireland and Northern Ireland The event brings together leading experts from the United Kingdom and the island of Ireland to explore a range of policy approaches to address overweight and obesity, and public support for such policies.

Dr Aileen McGloin, Director of Nutrition with safefood, said: “Overweight and obesity are the most serious long-term public health issues we face and tackling them poses complex challenges for policy makers, society and the Irish economy.

“People are becoming more and more aware of these rising rates of overweight and obesity. Our research shows the public is ready for a range of policies for children and adults to address this and benefit them.

“There’s already strong work happening at a policy level in Ireland. Of note is the establishment of nutritional standards in pre-school settings, the introduction of the sugar sweetened drinks tax and work in food reformulation. By identifying those policies that have strong public backing, we can better support and empower people to make healthier food and lifestyle choices. This has the potential to create lifelong, sustainable changes which can benefit current and future generations, our society and the economy in Ireland.”

The safefood research demonstrated high levels of public support for government-led policies aimed at tackling childhood obesity, with over two-thirds backing the ban of vending machines with unhealthy snacks and drinks in schools (77.8%) as well as a majority backing planning restrictions on the opening of fast-food outlets close to schools (66.5%).

Nine in ten respondents also endorsed healthy school meals (91.8% for primary schools and 90.6% for secondary schools), educating children on food prep skills at all schools (91.7%), while 85.3% believe children should receive a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise in school each day.

The research also found that nine out of ten respondents (88.8%) supported policies requiring meals sold or provided at private and public sector workplaces to meet a healthy standard of nutrition.

For more information and to download the report “Public acceptability of policies to address obesity”, visit: www.safefood.net/news.

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