Chicken contamination

Posted by Judy Arbique Dec 9, 2006

Consumer Reports magazine reported that 83% of 525 chickens purchased by them from supermarkets and other retail outlets were contaminated with Salmonella and/or Campylobacter. The report is being questioned by officials of the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture who believe the numbers are greatly exaggerated. The contamination rates do appear to be higher than previously reported by scientific studies into the problem of poultry contamination; however, the take-home message is the same. One of the risks with handling chicken, and ingesting improperly cooked chicken is potential illness associated with either of these organisms which have been found on chicken packaging (internal and external), chicken skin, and chicken meat.

Salmonella and Campylobacter are bacteria that are commonly found in the intestinal tracts of chicken, and find their way to the skin and/or the meat through slaughter and processing. As consumers we must be aware of the potential contamination and use care when handling and preparing chicken after purchase.

We cannot sterilize our environment - the more we attempt to, the more problems we will create. Microorganisms will always exist, some disease-producing, some not. Respecting the potential for illness and protecting against them through defensively rather than invasively may serve us better.