E. coli found on stores’ chicken

A new study of grocery store chicken carried out by a pro-vegetarian group reports that almost half the chicken meat tested, including some from two supermarkets in Milwaukee, was contaminated with fecal matter.

The examination by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has come under criticism because of the group’s agenda and the study’s sample size and conclusions.

The group tested chicken products sold by 15 grocery chains in 10 cities, including a Pick ‘n Save and a Piggly Wiggly in Milwaukee. Some samples showed levels of E. coli hundreds of times higher than those deemed acceptable by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. However, the group also counted as contaminated samples that showed E. coli levels well within the acceptable limits. Overall the study reported that 48% of the samples it tested were positive for fecal contamination.

Joseph Gonzales, a registered dietitian for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said the group’s findings show that there are numerous opportunities for contamination in the preparation of chicken for sale, and current testing and inspections are insufficient to catch it.

“They only test one out of every 22,000 chickens,” Gonzales said, referring to tests carried out by the companies themselves under USDA supervision. “It’s just so hard to regulate because there are so many birds going through.”

He said about 9 billion chickens are slaughtered each year in America.

But critics questioned the validity of the study and charged that Gonzales’ group is not impartial.

“They’re as biased as anybody,” said Andrew L. Milkowski, an adjunct professor in the department of animal sciences at University of Wisconsin-Madison. After reading the report, Milkowski said the group was making a leap of logic in claiming that the presence of E. coli meant fecal material was present on the birds.

He said E. coli is present in the water supply and in small amounts in the environment. Moreover, he said the companies and USDA ensure that chickens must pass through “extensive” safety hurdles “before they can send any product out the door. There is also auditing of company records to make sure what they say they are doing to ensure safety they are, in fact, doing.”

Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, would not agree to be interviewed about the report, but issued a highly critical statement.

“What the study reports is the presence of generic E. coli, not fecal matter,” Fillpot wrote. “The generic E. coli present on the birds would not cause foodborne illness. This study does not focus on what counts: foodborne pathogens.”

Gonzales said his group tested six chicken products from each place visited. The supermarkets tested were in Milwaukee; Charleston, S.C.; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Miami; Phoenix; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.

Roundy’s Inc., the operator of Pick ‘n Save supermarkets, released a statement in response to the study, saying that food safety and customer well-being are the company’s top priorities. Its statement noted: “A number of experts are questioning the group’s survey methodology and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture said the study’s findings were not supported by any science or facts.”

CHICKEN SAFETY

Chicken should be stored in a refrigerator that is 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or in a freezer that is 0 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Refrigerated chicken should be eaten in one to two days, and cooked to at least 160 degrees in its thickest part to kill E. coli and other pathogens.

Bill & Sheila’s Food Safety – Bacterial Infections

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