July 4, 2022

 

One-third of ground chicken samples in US found to have salmonella

 

 

One-third of samples tested in United States by Consumer Reports (CR) showed salmonella contamination of ground chicken, including product from one of the nation's largest producers.

 

The investigation by the non-profit consumer watchdog group included testing of 75 samples of ground chicken from Perdue and other companies. Purdue sells under its own brand and supplies chicken to Trader Joe's and Wholesome Pantry.

 

CR also found salmonella in samples from Isernio's, Walmart and Whole Foods. Overall, no single brand stood out as being statistically better or worse than another, and CR found no difference between ground chicken from organic and conventionally-raised birds.

 

"Dangerous salmonella is far too common in chicken and sickens hundreds of thousands of people every year," said James E. Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at CR. "The USDA has pledged to reduce illness from salmonella contamination for more than a decade, but CR's tests show that more progress is clearly needed to protect the public. We need tougher action by the USDA to keep salmonella out of our kitchens and off of our plates."

 

All of the salmonella from the ground chicken samples was resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 78% of it was resistant to multiple drugs.

 

Salmonella is widespread in chicken in part due to often crowded and filthy conditions in which they are raised. Nearly 1.35 million Americans get sick from salmonella every year, about one-fifth of those cases come from chicken or turkey, including ground versions.

 

While the United States Department of Agriculture requires producers to test poultry for salmonella, a processing facility is allowed to have the bacteria in up to 9.8% of all whole birds it tests, 15.4% of all parts, and 25% of ground chicken. Producers that exceed these amounts are given what amounts to a warning, but are not prevented from selling the meat.

 

CR is calling on the USDA to set more aggressive goals to sharply reduce the percentage of chicken samples allowed to test positive for salmonella.

 

The agency should also focus on reducing the salmonella strains that pose the biggest threat to human health. In CR's test, 91% of the salmonella detected in ground chicken was from three strains.

 

CR also believes the USDA needs more authority to inspect poultry plants and should close facilities immediately when high salmonella rates are found.

- Food Safety News