Foul Fowl: An Analysis of Salmonella Contamination in Broile

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Foul Fowl: An Analysis of Salmonella Contamination in Broiler Chickens

Food & Water Watch

July 2006

The bacteria Salmonella is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States(1) with nearly a million cases of salmonellosis attributed annually to meat and poultry consumption.(2) Of these, over 9,000 of the victims are hospitalized and over 250 die.(3) The annual cost of illnesses and premature death from Salmonella is estimated to be around $1.5 billion.(4) There is also increasing concern about the potential for pathogens, including Salmonella, to become resistant to antibiotics. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are more frequently associated with illness and death than those caused by bacteria that are not antibiotic-resistant.(5)

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced concern over an increase in Salmonella contamination of broiler chickens. Food & Water Watch has obtained the Salmonella testing results through the Freedom of Information Act and is using this report to publicize data from 1998 through 2005. We report here on:

1) The performance trends in the broiler chicken industry

2) The relative performance of the largest seven broiler chicken companies

3) Identifying information for plants that failed to meet USDA’s Salmonella standards between 1998 and 2005

We are releasing this information for several reasons.

- First, citizens have a right to information that indicates how effectively their government is ensuring the safety of products that carry the USDA seal of approval.

- Second, consumers have a right to public information concerning the relative performance of poultry-producing plants under government inspection.

- Third, publication of the names of plants that have failed to meet the regulatory standard may create additional incentive for plants to improve the safety of their processes.
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1 http://fsrio.nal.usda.gov/document_fshe ... duct_id=58

2 FSIS estimates that 63 percent of foodborne Salmonella cases (995,496) are due to the consumption of meat or poultry (USDA, 1996).
http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/FoodBorneI ... .asp#cases

3 http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FoodBorneI ... &n=1397187

4 http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/foodborneillness/. The cost of salmonellosis from all sources is estimated to be $2,387,251,191.

5 http://www.nmconline.org/articles/NARMS.pdf

Get the details at:

http://www.agribusinesscenter.org/library.cfm?id=131