Check that chicken! What?

According to a recent study by Consumer Reports, 97% of the chicken breasts they test harbored bacteria that could make you sick.

Analyzing more than 300 chicken breasts purchased across the US, the scientists found potentially harmful bacteria in almost all of them, including organic brands.  More than 50% of the breasts contained fecal contamination.  Around half of them contained at least one bacteria that was resistant to 3 commonly used antibiotics.  This resistance to antibiotics is becoming a major public health threat according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). They are linked to at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths per year here in the US. 

What are these bacteria and how can they harm us?  The chief culprit is salmonella.  Salmonella come in many strains, the most dangerous of which is the Heidelberg variety, the culprit in the recent Foster Farms salmonella outbreak that drew a public health alert from the Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).  Christopher Braden, MD, of the CDC, reports that the Heidelberg salmonella produced these symptoms, common in most salmonella poisonings: 

nausea, vomiting, severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and a low-grade fever

About 20 percent of people with salmonella end up hospitalized; almost 40 percent of those sickened by the Foster Farms-¬produced chicken did, Braden says.

So, how do we protect ourselves?

• Keep your kitchen very clean

• Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees (use a good meat thermometer)

• Prevent cross-contamination: Often when you take the chicken out of the package, you get bacteria on your hands, then touch the handle of your faucet, trash bin, or kitchen cabinet. Once they have bacteria on them, these dangerous bacteria can live on those surfaces for hours and sometimes days

Want to learn more about this public health hazard?  Click on the link in the above article.  Let’s all stay healthy