Nov 30, 2009 6:40 pm US/Eastern
Health Alert: Chicken Safety
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
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Chicken is on the dinner table for millions of Americans tonight, but a new study found over 60 percent of chickens tested positive for two types of bacteria that can make you very sick.
AP
Chicken is on the dinner table for millions of Americans tonight, but a new study found over 60 percent of chickens tested positive for two types of bacteria that can make you very sick.
Chicken is an all American staple, and popular protein. But one new study questions the safety of poultry.
"It's a dirty industry and it needs to be cleaned up," said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, with Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports purchased 382 raw whole broiler chickens from more than 100 stores in 22 states, and tested for salmonella and a dangerous bacteria called Campylobacter.
"In our findings, nearly two-thirds of the chickens we tested had either one or both pathogens," said Dr. Rangan.
62 percent of the bids had some level of Campylobacter, 14 percent had Salmonella, nine percent had both, and only 34 percent of the chickens were completely clean of both pathogens.
"You can't see these pathogens, so you must assume that any piece of raw meat that you're handling has some level of pathogen on it," said Dr. Rangan.
The CDC estimates Salmonella and Campylobacter from chicken, and other food, infect three-point-3 million Americans every year.
"I think it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced," said Anna Pelesh, who got sick from Salmonella. The 13-year-old blames undercooked chicken tenders for her battle with Salmonella. She's now a more careful eater.
"I eat anything I want, but with meat I always check to make sure it's done to my liking," said Anna.
Thoroughly cooking chicken, to 165 degrees, will kill bacteria. But there's also a danger with cross contamination, touching raw chicken then something else.
"The government needs to take a look at what measures work. What measures don't. And need to step up the standards so less contaminated birds are sold to consumers overall," said Dr. Rangan.
The National Chicken Council said in a statement, "Like all fresh foods, raw chicken may have some micro-organisms present, but these are destroyed by the heat of normal cooking… The industry does an excellent job in providing safe, wholesome food to American consumers."
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