Chickens frequently contaminated with Salmonella and Campylobacter
EU study shows: Pathogens are carried over during slaughter from animals to carcasses
"Chicken is the main source of food-borne Campylobacter infections", says BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel, "and infections with Salmonella, too, can often be traced back to chicken". Hence, particular attention should be paid to kitchen hygiene when preparing chicken. Poultry meat should only be consumed once it has been heated thoroughly. This inactivates not only Campylobacter and Salmonella but also other potential pathogens. Furthermore, the meat should be stored and prepared separately from other foods to prevent the carry-over of pathogens to other foods.
EU-wide 71.2 percent Campylobacter were detected in the intestines of the slaughter groups of broilers and 77 percent on the carcasses. The detection rates in the Member States were between 2 percent and 100 percent for detection in the intestines and between 4.9 percent and 100 percent for detection on the carcasses. The values obtained for Germany were, therefore, lower than the EU average.
EU-wide 15.7 percent of the carcasses were contaminated with Salmonella. The most frequent serovars were Salmonella infantis and Salmonella enteritidis; however the frequent detection of Salmonella infantis reflects the very high level of contamination of animals in one Member State.
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