Chickens Getting Dirtier
NEW YORK - Fresh chickens we buy in stores are more laden with potentially harmful bacteria than they were three years ago, according to Consumer Reports."We've got a very dirty industry out there," Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist at the magazine, said on The Early Show Tuesday. "Part of the problem has to do with the inspection system, not testing for enough bacteria. It's simply faulty."
"CR’s analysis of fresh, whole broilers bought nationwide revealed that 83 percent harbored campylobacter or salmonella, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease," the magazine says in its January issue. "That’s a stunning increase from 2003, when we reported finding that 49 percent tested positive for one or both pathogens.
Leading chicken producers have stabilized the incidence of salmonella, but spiral-shaped campylobacter has wriggled onto more chickens than ever. And although the U.S. Department of Agriculture tests chickens for salmonella against a federal standard, it has not set a standard for campylobacter.
Source: CBS News