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For a lot of people, washing raw chicken before cooking it might be a routine step. Even though the idea of washing raw produce sounds good, a new report found that people are better off skipping this part. According to health experts, washing raw chicken can increase one's risk of food poisoning.

In the recent online survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the researchers found that roughly 44 percent out of nearly 4,500 people washed their raw poultry before cooking it. People who washed their raw chicken stated that they did so in order to remove germs or dirt. Others stated that they had always washed their meat. According to the agency, this rate needs to be reduced because washing raw chicken can spread a dangerous bacterium known as campylobacter.

The survey found that only 28 percent of the people knew what campylobacter was. Only around one-third of the participants were aware of the fact that poultry is the main source of this particular bacterium. On the other hand, an overwhelming 90 percent of people knew what salmonella and E. coli were.

The FSA reported that campylobacter could spread relatively easily through contaminated water droplets onto people's hands, cooking stations, clothing, and cooking tools and utensils. Symptoms of food poisoning caused by campylobacter include diarrhea, stomach pains, cramps and fever. Due to easy cross contamination, the FSA is recommending people to avoid washing raw chicken prior to cooking. Instead, people should focus on cooking their poultry through and washing their hands with soap after handling raw meat.

"Although people tend to follow recommended practice when handling poultry, such as washing hands after touching raw chicken and making sure it is thoroughly cooked, our research has found that washing raw chicken is also common practice," FSA chief executive Catherine Brown said reported by BBC News. "That's why we're calling on people to stop washing raw chicken and also raising awareness of the risks of contracting campylobacter as a result of cross-contamination.

The FSA report can be found here.