Nearly 2/3 of chicken contains dangerous pathogens

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Report: Nearly 2/3 of chicken contains dangerous pathogensWRAL 2009-12-01http://www.godlikeproductions.com/news/Breaking_News/15370-Report__Nearly_2_3_Of_Chicken_Contains_Dangerous_PathogensFood-borne illnesses kill more than 650 Americans a year and sicken more than 3 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.One of the big culprits is chicken, and Consumer Reports recently tested the meat for disease-causing bacteria.The average American eats more than 80 pounds of chicken each year, and thousands of people become ill each year after eating contaminated chicken.Alexis Sartl suffered extensive nerve damage four years ago after eating food at a California restaurant that was cross-contaminated with bacteria from raw poultry. She hasn't fully recovered, but she won her lawsuit against the restaurant.“I still have problems. I'll never be able to run or walk very far,” she said.The CDC estimates that salmonella and a dangerous bacteria called campylobacter from chicken and other food infect 3.3 million Americans, hospitalize more than 26,000 and kill more than 650 every year.“It's a dirty industry and it needs to be cleaned up,” said Urvashi Rangan, director of technical policy for Consumers Union.Consumer Reports purchased 382 raw, whole broiler chickens from more than 100 stores in 22 states and tested for salmonella and campylobacter.“In our findings, nearly 2/3 of the chickens we tested had either one or both pathogens,” Rangan said.Sixty-two percent of the chicken contained campylobacter, 14 percent contained salmonella, and 9 percent had both bacteria.Of the name brands, more than 80 percent of the Tyson and Foster Farms chicken had one or both bacteria. Purdue was the cleanest with 56 percent free of the bacteria, according to Consumer Reports.Overall, air-chilled organic broilers were among the cleanest. No matter what chicken you buy, you need to take precautions:* Buy chicken that's well wrapped.* Pick from the bottom of the case, where it should be the coolest.* Put it in a produce bag so you don't cross-contaminate other foods.* Once home, use a cutting board that's just for raw poultry and meat.* After prepping chicken, use hot, soapy water and paper towels to wash and dry anything you and the raw chicken might have touched.* Cook chicken to at least 165 degrees.* If you're not going to prepare chicken within one to two days, freeze it.A representative from the National Chicken Council said the "industry does an excellent job" providing safe food and that any microorganisms are destroyed in the normal cooking process. Email Article Discuss in the Forum Back