August 15, 2006

New Zealand's campylobacter scare fails to deter consumers

New Zealand's chicken industry said sales have remained steady despite the scare from high rates of human campylobacter infection.

A University of Otago study last month said New Zealand's campylobacter contamination rates, at 90 percent, were the world's highest.  

However, the Poultry Industry Association's executive director, Michael Brooks, believes contamination rates are more likely to be 30-40 percent.

The association said while some regions had seen a minor fluctuation in sales, the overall trend remained steady.

The scare came after Meat and Wool New Zealand figures showed a decline in poultry consumption in the year to March.

During that period, even as overall meat consumption rose 2.8 per cent, poultry consumption dropped 5.9 percent. Chicken still had the highest per capita consumption of 35.6kg a person.

Brooks said the drop had followed years of record increases in consumption as growth cannot continue forever.

Meanwhile, the poultry association board has agreed on a number of measures to control the bacteria such as trials of treatment options, sharing data with the NZ Food Safety Authority, improved food handling and preparation advice to consumers such as the fact that proper cooking would kill the bacteria.