The English newspaper the Guardian have run an exposé on the poultry industry in the UK and it does not bode well.
After a 5 month investigation they found a number of incidences that caused them concern including chicken that fell on the floor being put back on the production line and continued running of the production line even though a machine breakdown had caused a build up of feather guts and offal on the factory floor.
The allegations are against two of the biggest chicken poultry processors in the country who supply most of the big supermarkets. The supermarkets have hastily declared that they will also be running their own investigations.
The biggest concern is Campylobacter, that can make you unpleasantly ill. Approx. 280,000 cases are reported annually in the UK and it is thought to cause 100 deaths. Contamination rates are increasing despite efforts to reverse this. Recently the FSA recommended against washing chicken before cooking as this can spread the bacteria around the kitchen.
The good news is that it can be killed by thorough cooking. Temperature probes at the ready…