Chicken Unsafe According to Consumer Reports
01 December 2009
by Anai Rhoads
AnaiRhoads.org -- A well-known independent consumer watchdog released a preview of their January 2010 issue Monday which may make consumers think twice about eating chickens.
Consumer Reports has been randomly testing whole broilers since 1998, and according to their latest issue, there has only been a "modest improvement" since. In 2007, the magazine reported that pathogens were found in 8 out of 10 broilers tested.
The non-profit collected fresh, whole broilers from 22 states across the country. The results revealed that two-thirds of the birds tested harboured campylobacter and/or salmonella, two leading bacterial causes of food-borne disease. To make matters worse, the strains were resistant to at least one anti-biotic, making it difficult to treat effectively.
"Consumers still need to be very careful in handling chicken, which is routinely contaminated with disease-causing bacteria," said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, Director of Technical Policy at Consumers Union, non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports. "Our tests show that campylobacter is widespread in chicken, even in brands that control for salmonella. While one name brand, Perdue, and most air-chilled chickens, were less contaminated than others, this is still a very dirty industry that needs better practices and tighter government oversight."
Consumer Reports purchased 382 chickens last spring from over 100 supermarkets, mass merchandisers, gourmet shops and natural-food stores in 22 states. Campylobacter was found in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella - 14 percent; and 9 percent had a combination of both bacteria strains. Only 34 percent of the birds were clear of both pathogens.
Campylobacter is a dangerous pathogen, one that can lead to meningitis, arthritis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a severe neurological condition.
These findings are double of what was reported in Consumer Reports' 2007 results.
The chickens that were dunked in cold chlorinated water were said to have the highest bacterial levels. Of the chickens that were air-chilled, 60 percent were found to be free of these dangerous pathogens.
The biggest brand-name offenders were Tyson Foods and Foster Farms. Only less than 20 percent of their broilers were found to not have any contamination. Consumer Reports says the well-known brand, Perdue, rated the highest for quality - but only 56 percent of their products were "clean."
Out of the store-brand organic chickens, only 43 percent were free of both pathogens. None tested positive for salmonella; however, nearly 57 percent of the broilers were positive for campylobacter.
In the magazine's 2007 report, 16 percent of all broilers tested were found to have salmonella and 33 percent had campylobacter that were anti-biotic resistant. The new report now shows that the numbers have increased to 68 percent for salmonella, and 60 percent for campylobacter drug-resistant-organisms.
According to estimates by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 3.4 million Americans are infected with these pathogens every year. An estimated 25,500 people end up in the hospital and 500 people die from consuming tainted poultry.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is in place to protect consumers against contamination. While HACCP requires companies to identify potential points of salmonella contamination, it admits that it has no standard system implemented for campylobacter testing.
The Consumers Union has been after the USDA to set limits on both the percentage of chicken samples for years. Although the USDA said that a risk assessment for campylobacter and draft performance standards would be ready by the year's end, the agency says the long process of final approval for such regulation may push the timeline to 2010 or later.
"The USDA has been pondering new standards to cut the prevalence of bacteria in chicken for more than 5 years but has yet to act," said Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives at Consumers Union.
Consumer Reports highlight the conditions of these facilities by pointing out the dangers of eating chicken. Every single day, poultry slaughter plants kill thousands upon thousands of birds. Safety precautions are not a priority here, profit is. Billions of animals are slaughtered every single year and are viewed as mere commodities.
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