The Good Stuff 411

Huge SHOUT OUT to Jen F. who texted me a heads up on the new Consumer Report Article just out on Chicken Safety.  I gotta say, the more I read, the more I relish my choice to eat less meat!  But listen, I still eat meat, and I know most of you do, so if we are going to eat meat and feed it to our kids let’s be active participants in the farm-to-table process, and let’s all remember that every dollar we spend on a specific BRAND of food is a vote for that Company to continue its practices…good, or not so good.

I know a lot of you can not stomach the icky talk about what might be coming into our homes, so I will outline the basics of the article, and if you want the full 411 you can read it for yourself!

Here is the 411 on their findings, and the full article can be read here, and will be on New Stands January 2010!

What I Take Away From This Article, My Own 411

• If I can stomach the prep, or just decided to COOK only whole chickens, buying air-chilled broilers is the safest way to go (WHOLE BIRD PEOPLE)
• Store-brand organic chicken (from these findings) is more likely to keep my home free of Salmonella that non-organic chicken
• If I have to buy mainstream, I will buy Perdue!
• I will always use a meat thermometer and make sure my chicken is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit

First A Few Definitions

Campylobacter:    Odds are if you have had food poisoning you had Campylobacteriosis as it is the most common cause of diarrhea in the United States!!!  Defined it is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism.  More common in cases of “here and there” than associated with major outbreaks.

Salmonella:  Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.  Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. 

Some 411 On The Illnesses Associated With Chickens

Each year, salmonella and campylobacter from chicken and other food sources infect 3.4 million Americans, send 25,500 to hospitals, and kill about 500, according to estimates by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  BUT the article goes on to tell us that these are reported cases, most of us don’t go to the hospital when we have food poisoning, we ride it out at home.

What’s more, the CDC reports that in about 20 percent of salmonella cases and 55 percent of campylobacter cases, the bugs have proved resistant to at least one antibiotic.

Here Is WHAT Consumer Reports Tested

Consumer Reports has been measuring contamination in store-bought chickens since 1998. For our latest analysis, we had an outside lab test 382 chickens bought last spring from more than 100 supermarkets, gourmet- and natural-food stores, and mass merchandisers in 22 states. We tested three top brands—Foster Farms, Perdue, and Tyson—as well as 30 nonorganic store brands, nine organic store brands, and nine organic name brands. Five of the organic brands were labeled “air-chilled” (a slaughterhouse process in which carcasses are refrigerated and may be misted, rather than dunked in cold chlorinated water).

Here Is What They Found

• Campylobacter was in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella was in 14 percent, and both bacteria were in 9 percent. Only 34 percent of the birds were clear of both pathogens.
• Among the cleanest overall were air-chilled broilers. About 40 percent harbored one or both pathogens. Eight Bell & Evans organic broilers, which are air chilled, were free of both, but our sample was too small to determine that all Bell & Evans broilers would be.
• Store-brand organic chickens had no salmonella at all, showing that it’s possible for chicken to arrive in stores without that bacterium riding along. But 57 percent of those birds harbored campylobacter.
• The cleanest name-brand chickens were Perdue’s: 56 percent were free of both pathogens. This is the first time since we began testing chicken that one major brand has fared significantly better than others across the board.
• Most contaminated were Tyson and Foster Farms chickens. More than 80 percent tested positive for one or both pathogens.
• Among all brands and types of broilers tested, 68 percent of the salmonella and 60 percent of the campylobacter organisms we analyzed showed resistance to one or more antibiotics. (THIS SHOULD SCARE YOU)

Here is What CR Suggest You Do

• Make chicken one of the last items you buy before heading to the checkout line.
• Choose chicken that is well wrapped and at the bottom of the case, where the temperature should be coolest.
• Place chicken in a plastic bag like those in the produce department to keep juices from leaking.
• If you’ll cook the chicken within a couple of days, store it at 40° F or below. Otherwise, freeze it.
• Thaw frozen chicken in a refrigerator, inside its packaging and on a plate, or on a plate in a microwave oven. Never thaw it on a counter: When the inside is still frozen, the outside can warm up, providing a breeding ground for bacteria. Cook chicken thawed in a microwave oven right away.
• Don’t return cooked meat to the plate that held it raw.
• Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.