Tag: salmonella

If you want to eat chicken in the U.S., Salmonella is a risk you have to live with

Ten things to know before you eat your next chicken dinner

image of US-chickens
In the U.S., even chicken that has passed all federal food safety requirements still can make people sick. This proved true in 2013 after a massive salmonella outbreak linked to Foster Farms sickened hundreds of people in 29 states. Salmonella sickens about 1 million Americans a year, and chicken is a common source.
Gunthorp Farms chickens image credit Darren Hauck for Reveal.
  • It’s legal to sell raw chicken that has bacteria on it that could kill you
  • Salmonella is the rare foodborne pathogen that is both common and potentially deadly
  • Even when processing plants meet federal standards, they can be the source of massive outbreaks
  • There’s no requirement to test chickens for salmonella where it spreads – on the farm
  • Processing plants aren’t shut down when they’re cranking out contaminated birds
  • Efforts to reform the system have been opposed by the industry and failed
  • Avoiding industrial chicken by buying local isn’t necessarily safer
  • Raising backyard chickens won’t guarantee to protect you
  • Antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella are on the rise
  • Other countries don’t stand for salmonella the way U.S. do

Read 10 things to know before you eat your next chicken dinner, revealnews, December 2, 2015.