July 10, 2006

New Zealand researchers call for ban on fresh chicken sales

University researchers in New Zealand are calling for the government to ban the sale of fresh chicken as a study revealed the country had the world's highest infection rates for the campylobacter bacteria.

Infection rates in New Zealand are three times higher than Australia's, and 30 times higher than in the US, according to the study from Otago University's Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Fresh chicken consumption was cited as the cause of at least half the infections.

Action should be taken immediately to control the infection, which causes diarrhoea, severe stomach cramps, fever and nausea, said Michael Baker, the study's lead researcher, urging the country to switch to frozen poultry and ban fresh chicken sales.

However, the Food Safety Authority said there was no evidence that banning sales would reduce infection rates.

FSA said there was no clear indication that bacteria on chicken causes human infection or if freezing chicken would bring down infection rates.

The market currently favours chilled chicken as opposed to frozen chicken, said FSA spokesman Roger Cook, adding that to freeze chickens would bring on much higher costs for producers.

Currently, the industry is looking at options like decontamination washes to remove the bacteria.

The Poultry Industry Association says banning the sale of fresh chicken would not help matters and argued that there may be other reasons for the high infection rate besides fresh chicken. Other countries are also selling fresh chicken as well but are nowhere near New Zealand's infection rates, the association noted.