October 20, 2020

Salmonella hits nearly 400 UK consumers of chicken products

The consumption of some frozen chicken products have led to close to 400 people in the United Kingdom falling ill with Salmonella since the start of 2020.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Public Health England (PHE) are investigating a rise in patients with two strains of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to frozen raw breaded processed chicken products.

Cases of Salmonella linked to raw breaded chicken products have been identified in the past years. However, this year saw a rise in cases. So far, the bacteria has infected 327 people in England, 32 in Scotland, 26 in Wales and five in Northern Ireland.

For cases where information is available, 36% needed hospital treatment and four people have died. However, it is not known whether Salmonella infection was a contributory factor in the deaths; one fatality was attributed to COVID-19.

There is a high proportion of children sick as 43% of cases are aged 16 years old or younger, as well as a greater rate of men being affected than women with 58% of patients being male.

Nick Phin, deputy director of PHE's National Infection Service, said: "From January 2020, there have been 390 cases of salmonellosis caused by two strains of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to frozen, raw, breaded chicken products."

Inadequate cooking and cross-contamination in the kitchen during food preparation can lead to salmonellosis.

Earlier this month, Aldi recalled Roosters Southern Fried Poppin' Chicken and Roosters Breaded Poppin' Chicken as they might contain Salmonella.

Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Infantis were found in frozen popping chicken from Poland and products were also distributed to Ireland.

In August, supermarket chain Iceland recalled Chip Shop Curry Chicken Breast Toppers and Southern Fried Chicken Popsters as Salmonella was found in the products.

Raw material for the products came from Poland and they were exported to Brunei, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Ireland, Israel, Jersey, Malta, Norway, Saint Helena, Saudi Arabia Spain and Thailand.

Colin Sullivan, chief operating officer at the FSA, said people should always check the cooking instructions on packaging, as different brands of the same product might have different instructions.

"Cooking food at the right temperature and for the correct length of time will ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed. We're not asking you to make changes to the food you buy, but we are asking you to always follow good hygiene practices to help reduce the risk of food poisoning to you and your family."

- Food Safety News