Studies Find Salmonella and Campylobacter in the Majority of Store-Bought Chicken

As the US food supply comes under scrutiny, it turns out it's not just spinach and leafy green vegetables we need to be concerned about. According to some tests, the chicken you buy at your local supermarket has a pretty good chance of having the presence of both Salmonella and Campylobacter, the 2 leading bacterial causes of foodborne diseases. According to tests run by Consumer Reports, as much as 83% of fresh or whole chicken broilers bought nationwide were found to have one or both of these pathogens present. That's more than 8 out of 10 birds! And it turns out the more expensive (name brand and organic) chicken had just as many incidents (some, even more) than the less expensive brands.They also claim a similar test in 2003 confirmed that 49% of the chicken was positive for Salmonella or Campylobacter. So that represents a 34% increase in 3 short years. Both salmonella and campylobacter can cause intestinal problems. Campylobacter is known to cause meningitis, arthritis and guillain-barre syndrome So what in the hell is going on with our food supply? And how is this potential health hazard getting in the food?

Apparently with chickens, there are many ways for this to happen. They can come into contact with insects who have picked up bacteria from the environment, by pecking at droppings on the ground that carry these germs, or even from drinking contaminated water. Both salmonella and campylobacter work their way into the digestive systems of the chickens. More of the birds harbor the campylobacter bacteria more than the salmonella. Presently the USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture) does test chickens for salmonella. As of yet, the USDA has not adopted a federal standard for the campylobacter pathogen. From the looks of things, this would be a good time to start testing for both. Some measures now being taken to limit the bacteria are disinfecting the chicken houses that hold 10's of thousand's of birds. This will help to shield against bacterial carriers, such as insects and rodents which can contaminate the feed the chickens eat. Also the large buildings used to house the chickens require large and powerful ventilation systems to keep their bedding dry, thus less of an invitation to germs. Another area of concern is the slaughtering process. Processors are required to follow a strict procedure called HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) during this process. This process is the consumer's main protection against ending up with a bacteria laden chicken. Some of the nations biggest chicken producers have spent millions of dollars in upgrades to modernize their processing plants. Some of these include high tech air-chill systems that are designed to minimize cross contamination. That all sounds pretty good on paper, but with up to 83% infected product on the market it's hardly enough. We can launch twin rovers on Mars that were supposed to last a few months and are still going years later, but we can't put bacteria free chicken on the supermarket shelves! Obviously the consumer has zero control over the raising and slaughtering of the chickens they eat. So, there are some important steps we must be aware of when serving chicken for dinner.

The good news is by proper handling and preparation, the presence of bacteria can be eliminated entirely. First of all, experts are now saying when shopping for food to pickup all your dry goods first. Make chicken(and cold, frozen items, milk etc.) the last thing you put in your shopping cart prior to checkout. Also, it would be a good idea to get the bagger to put the chicken in a separate bag so it won't come into contact with other foods. When you get home, refrigerate it right away! It's okay to use the same packaging the chicken was in from the store. However, make sure it's not leaking any of the fluids. This will prevent any cross-contamination from occuring. If you don't plan on making the chicken for more than 24 hours, it's best to freeze it. When you take the chicken out and are preparing to cook it, keep it away from other foods. If you cut up some chicken on a cutting board it is imperative that you completely clean and disinfect that cutting board, before chopping up other foods (ex. tomatoes or onions for a salad). Don't let the chicken or the juices from it (before cooked) come into contact with any other food! After handling the fresh chicken, wash your hands with an anti-bacterial soap. This is how foods become cross-contaminated. When cooking your chicken (breast, leg etc.) make sure the cooking temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees fahrenheit. This will kill any potential bacteria that may have been present prior to cooking.

By simply following these few steps, you can continue to have chicken in your dinner plans without any health concerns.