Is Your Chicken Dinner Safe?

(CBS)  A new study by Consumer Reports takes an in-depth look at the safety of the chickens we feed our families.

"Early Show" consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen says that Consumer Reports tested whole chickens for two types of bacteria that can make you very sick.

Consumer Reports' Chicken Findings

From the farm to the factory to the family table, chicken is one popular protein in the U.S.

But just how safe are those birds we're eating?

According to Consumer Reports' Urvashi Rangan, director of Technical Policy at Consumers Union, they're not safe enough.

Rangan told CBS News, "It's a dirty industry and it needs to be cleaned up."

Read more about Healthy Living

Consumer Reports purchased 382 raw whole broiler chickens from more than 100 stores in 22 states and tested for salmonella and a dangerous bacteria called campylobacter.

And in Consumer Reports' findings, nearly two-thirds of the chickens tested had either one or both pathogens, Rangan said.

Koeppen said 62 percent of the birds had some level of campylobacter, 14 percent had salmonella, and nine percent had both. Only 34 percent of the chickens were completely clean of both pathogens.

Rangan said, "You can't see these pathogens, so you must assume that any piece of raw meat that you're handling has some level of pathogen on it."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates salmonella and campylobacter from chicken and other foods infect 3.3 million Americans, hospitalize over 26,000, and kill more than 650 every year.

Anna Pelesh, 13, who got sick from salmonella, blames undercooked chicken tenders for her battle with salmonella.

"I think it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced," she told CBS News.

She's now a more careful eater.

"I eat anything I want," Pelesh said, "but with meat, I always check to make sure it's done to my liking."

The National Chicken Council, an organization that represents chicken producers in the U.S., said in a statement to CBS News, "Like all fresh foods, raw chicken may have some microorganisms present, but these are destroyed by the heat of normal cooking. ... The industry does an excellent job in providing safe, wholesome food to American consumers."

But Rangan says more needs to be done before chickens ever reach the American consumer.

"The government needs to take a look at what measures work, what measures don't," Rangan said, "and need to step up the standards so less contaminated birds are sold to consumers overall."

The most recent USDA tests showed lower percentages than the Consumer Reports test for both salmonella and campylobacter. It's important to note that while chicken processors must obey specific rules on salmonella, no federal standards for campylobacter currently exist.

The presence of bacteria on a chicken does not mean you will automatically get sick, Koeppen said, but there are some important tips you can follow to help protect yourself:

1. SHOPPING FOR CHICKEN
• Shop for meat last.
• Reach for meat in bottom and back of cooler
• Reach for meat with plastic bag and keep chicken in bag

2. HANDLING CHICKEN
• Don't rinse chicken in sink. Dip in pot of water and then pour out water
• Designate specific raw meat cutting board.
• Put directly into dishwasher after using.

3. COOKING CHICKEN
• Always make sure chicken is cooked to at least 165 degrees F.
• Put meat thermometer into the chicken thigh for best results.

[erasmus111]

I always rinse chicken in cold water before cooking it. What difference does it make whether you rinse it under the tap or in a pot? They both still have to be cleaned well. I prefer the tap.

[skeezix06]

Here's a stray thought. We could hire enough inspectors to actually inspect and return food safety to the level that it used to be instead of continuing to play russian roulette with our children's lives and our own...

[FauxNews]

The report failed to mention that 99 out of 100 humans tested contained pathogens.

[erniepf]

How's that human meat taste, BTW?

Agribiz and the culture of slaughtering millions of chickens, cows, ad nauseum fits perfectly. Americans are prepared to eat the cheapest, fastest food possible, and by golly, nothing will stop that!

The USDA doesn't give a rat's patoot about food quality, but what else is new? Americans are so lazy and indifferent about big food biz, that we get what we deserve.

[FauxNews]

I'm not sure, but I bet it taste like chicken.

The situation is worse in Europe, they don't even label what is in their food.

[Hermotimus]

There is no such thing as a safe fresh food! Every fresh food item you buy has a likelihood of contamination attached to it. There are only two ways to avoid this problem and both our parents and grandparents used constantly. With meat, make sure that it is cooked thoroughly. Your grandmother had a pressure cooker and used it often in preparing meat because it was a sure way to kill any harmful bacteria that the meat may have acquired in processing as well as making for very tender beef, pork, chicken and turkey meat. When cooking meat, take your time, don't just throw it in a pan and put heat under it. Make sure that it cooks completely! With fresh vegetables it is a case of knowing where your fresh vegetables come from. Our parents and grandparents got theirs from local farms and their own gardens and made sure that the products were free of contamination. Nowadays when you buy fresh produce in the store you have no way of knowing where or how it was grown or whether or not the grower knows how or even cares to grow and package food without contamination. All of our recent food poisoning events are the result of farmers not properly paying attention and doing their jobs as reputable farmers. Yet, even after this events of contamination, they are still in business and still flourishing. In our grandparents day, a farm that supplied produce that caused food poisoning would be out of the market permanently because people would no longer buy from them. We have taken the personal touch out of our food production and so we are paying the price for it. We will continue to pay the price for it until the individual comsumers and groups of consumers take action to stop those farmers and processors from using poor practices in the processing of meat and fresh vegetables!

[erasmus111]

People in Canada quite often will cross the border to buy stuff from the States. One thing we are told NOT to buy? Chicken and eggs.

[DaVicar8]

Good!

. . . more chicken and eggs for me!!!

[erasmus111]

by DaVicar8 November 30, 2009 2:25 PM EST
Good!

. . . more chicken and eggs for me!!!


That explains it!

[fleabag75]

So I guess from some of the blogs posted here that there are no issues with the meat? Nobody gets sick? All the stores that prepare cooked chicken do a good job of it? Some folks are real idiots!

[porcine_aviator]

"Some folks are real idiots!"

You got that right. These same idiots are the very ones who end up in the hospital fighting for their life because they somehow think they can't get sick.

Why use simple prevention when you can cost the premium payers/tax payers $100k for a 3 week stay in the ICU?

[bobkat258]

This is stupid. There is probably bacteria on all meat. That's why proper cooking is so important. I think we should test unshrubs chickens. I bet they have the same bacterias.
Why did the girl in the story get sick? UNDERCOOKED chicken.

[oneriot1rang]

As already pointed out the "wash the chicken in a pot" section does not follow FDA protocols which do not recommend washing chicken before cooking as the only way to get rid of bacteria is to cook it and the washing will just leave potentially deadly bacteria in the sink for days or even weeks where they can contaminate food items that don't get cooked. You need to retract this section.

[oneriot1rang]

As already pointed out the "wash the chicken in a pot" section does not follow FDA protocols which do not recommend washing chicken before cooking as the only way to get rid of bacteria is to cook it and the washing will just leave potentially deadly bacteria in the sink for days or even weeks where they can contaminate food items that don't get cooked. You need to retract this section.

[unshrub]

My chicken is 100% safe, because I raise my own chickens and they get REAL exercise and REAL food. The way commercial chicken growers raise their chickens are both unsafe and cruel. Chickens need more space then one square foot where they spend their entire life. Maybe after a few people dying people will wake up.

[bobkat258]

Well isn't it too bad we can't ALL raise our own chickens.