Kara
Posting: #3
Topic: Health
Title of Article: 48% of Chicken in Small Sample Has E. Coli
Author: Stephanie Strom
Publication Name: New York Times
Date of Publication: April 11, 2012
Length of Article: 878 words
There have been recent tests on raw chicken packages in ten major cities in the United States that have all resulted in E. coli contamination. E. coli is a bacteria that can be found in foods and can cause illnesses and potentially lead to death. It can also be used to indicate fecal contamination in foods. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit organization that promotes a vegetarian lifestyle and discovered the fecal contamination in raw chicken. They examined the chicken products with an analytical testing laboratory in Chicago, Illinois to test for E. coli contamination. The director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, Dr. Michael Doyle, pointed out that, "produce is grown in soil fertilized with manure, and there's E. coli in that, too". Not only is meat being contaminated by E. coli in feces, but other goods are being exposed to E. coli through fertilized soil, which leads to fecal contamination in many types of foods. Eight-nine billion chickens are processed for food per year and one of every 22,000 chickens is tested for E. coli per week. Of the tested chickens, only 57 samples were questionable out of 42 million pounds of chicken. Some of these tested chicken samples have a higher amount of E. coli than accepted by the Department of Agriculture, but nothing is being done about it. Many doctors and physicians are trying to achieve quality raw poultry that must be within the strict food safety policies to keep everyone healthy; however, these doctors and physicians are unaware of what the untested chickens may contain and are still sending them out to the grocery market.
The doctors and food specialists should pay more attention to the produce and poultry they are allowing into the markets because about half of the chicken samples are contaminated with E. coli. Without proper care, the bacteria can cause many illnesses and even death in humans and the Department of Agriculture must prevent that by being stricter with their food policies. The public should be educated on what they are exactly eating - contaminated chicken - and the risks in consuming E. coli, since the Department of Agriculture let is pass by. Along with the already E. coli infested chicken, the bacteria can multiply in the refrigerator and in the processing plants, which will only increase the amount of bacteria in the raw meats. Although the Department of Agriculture has a zero tolerance for visible fecal matter, E. coli bacteria still manages to be found in the chicken samples in the grocery markets.
This article posting discussed the discovery of E. coli on raw chicken, being sent to grocery stores in 10 major U.S. cities, by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. It also brought up the issue of fecal matter being on produce because of its use in crop fertilizers. The worry with this is that the E. coli in the feces can contaminate the crops which are then shipped all over the country. This dispersal of bacteria could then get onto other plants as well. The Department of Agriculture does not seem to be doing anything about the issue, but doctors say strict safety policies need to be implemented to keep people healthy.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Chicken meat and other meat products often are contaminated with E. Coil and other bacteria is well known. The government, that is the US Food and Drug administration test for it and publishes a yearly report, NARMS Retail Meat Annual Report, 2010.
ReplyDeleteThe graphics and table 23 (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/AntimicrobialResistance/NationalAntimicrobialResistanceMonitoringSystem/UCM293672.pdf ) In the last such report, for 2010, shows that between 2002-2010 72-87% of chicken breast samples had E. Coli and similar for ground turkey. So the finding of 48% of E.Coli contaminated chicken meat samples is actually better than expected. This was also pointed out in the article by Dr. Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. Also, as an unnamed food expert says in the article, "E. coli found was not a kind that threatened public health" nor if it is antibiotic resistant, which the FDA is also looking for. No matter what, the article is a reminder for all of us that we need to thoroughly cook all the meat we eat as Dr. Cutter says at the end of the article.
The fact that not only meat is being contaminated by E. coli in feces, but that other goods are also being exposed to E. coli through fertilized soil leading to fecal contamination is startling. In addition, out of 42 million pounds of chicken tested, only 57 samples were questionable is not comforting either. In fact, only 1 out of 22,000 chickens is actually tested, leaving 1,999 chickens possibly contaminated. In order to allow consumers to feel safe, the Department of Agriculture needs to truely enforce their "zero" tolerance for visable fecal matter.
ReplyDeleteIn light of the recent discovery of Mad Cow Disease in a sample of California cow, there have been many allegations leveled against the United State's meat industry. One critic noted that, while Japan mandates the testing all cows over the age of 20 months, and Europe the testing of all cows over 30 months, the U.S. has no such regulations; in fact only 40,000 cows were tested for Mad Cow last year. Clearly, there are similar deficiencies in standards for chicken. This poses a significant threat to public health, which the government has a duty to rectify.
ReplyDelete