Not In My Food Blog: Flip that bird

Flip that bird Posted by Reggie at 12/05/06 10:59 AM

Thoroughly cooking chicken on both sides is sound safety advice in light of a new Consumer Reports study that found bacteria contamination in 83 percent of chicken sampled. This study represents a significant increase over Consumer Reports' 2003 study which found 49 percent of chickens sampled contaminated with either Salmonella or Campylobacter bacteria.

The jump between the 2003 and 2006 studies is attributed to a dramatic increase in Campylobacter contamination. USDA established a standard and testing program for Salmonella, but has neither standards nor a program specifically designed to address Campylobacter. The assumption was controlling Salmonella would control Campylobacter. Consumer Reports findings cast doubt on that strategy.

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, is renewing its call for USDA to set a standard and testing program for Campylobacter. Click here to tell USDA to get serious about campylobacter contamination

comments (3)

Comments

1 Posted by Sharon O'Hara at 12/07/06 12:05 PM

NOW I understand why I got sick from eating the turkey soup I made after Thanksgiving...only a couple weeks ago. It did not smell 'off' to me.
I have NEVER gotten sick from my soups until this year and had to dump every frozen container in my freezer...soup I had made and frozen to give my mother as her "soup person."
The 27 + pound turkey was "Foster Farms"- a brand I've trusted.
No harm done in this case, but my mother is 89 with a pace maker...she might not have fared so well.

2 Posted by Jim Warren at 12/22/06 03:10 PM

As I read the article about how the number of cases of bacterial problems with our food supply have increased in the last several years, I couldn't help but wonder how much those problems may be due to our increased import of foods from foreign and offshore processing plants, under our "free trade" policy (and its damn the dangers attitudes).

Even under a more pro-protection administration than the current one, we surely do NOT have enough inspectors to inspect those foreign processors, much less the regulatory and enforcement powers necessary to correct any "imperfections" - IF they were ever discovered.

3 Posted by Jim Murph at 02/15/07 09:32 AM

We have American poultry producers! Stop the importing of food products. Support American farmers amd producers. BUY ONLY AMERICAN PRODUCED FOOD PRODUCTS!!!!