ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION PRINTS THIS, ‘C

‘Consumer Reports’ Study Finds Harmful Bacteria in Many Samples of Chicken Sold in the United States
A new investigation of the safety of chicken breasts sold in retail stores across the United States by Consumer Reports found potentially harmful bacteria on 97 percent of the samples tested. And about half of the chicken samples had at least one type of bacteria that was resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics. “We are looking to the government to ensure the safety and sustainability of the entire food supply,” said Urvashi Rangan, PHD, executive director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center. “We need to attack the root causes of the problems. Without a government focus on effective solutions, meat safety will continue to be compromised.” Consumer Reports has several recommendations for the U.S. government aimed at reducing bacterial contamination in the food supply:

• Congress should give the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to mandate a recall of meat and poultry products.


• The FDA should prohibit antibiotic use in food animals except for the treatment of sick ones. (According to Consumer Reports , FDA’s action last week giving voluntary guidance to drug companies to end labeling of antibiotics for growth promotion uses is an important first step, but is far from what is needed overall.)


• The USDA should classify strains of salmonella bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics and known to have caused disease as “adulterants,” so that inspectors look for those strains routinely and when found, the products cannot be sold.


• The USDA should move quickly to set strict levels for allowable salmonella and campylobacter in chicken parts.


• The USDA’s proposed rule to increase maximum line speeds and reduce the number of USDA inspectors at slaughter plants should be dropped.

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