Friends get off lightly in pink-chicken test

More than nine out of 10 diners would complain if they were served pink chicken in a restaurant - but only 65% would do so if they were at a friend's dinner party, a study by the Food and Drink Federation has found.

The survey of 1,017 adults and 551 children was published to coincide with National Food Safety Week, which ends on Sunday (16 June).

A total of 74% would stay quiet if their mother-in-law served up the meal, but 90% would risk incurring the wrath of their other half, and 72% would complain even if they were at an important business lunch.

Only half of the children polled said they washed their hands before preparing food, compared with 79% of adults.

But, the older children got, the better their habits became and the more they knew about safety.

More adults - 88% - said they washed their hands after a visit to the toilet than at the same point last year, when the total was 76%.

According to the Food Standards Agency, there are 4.5 million cases of food poisoning in the UK each year.