3 replies to this topic

[Simon]

Shoppers are being warned to wash their hands after picking up a chicken wrapped in plastic, after a study revealed 40 per cent of supermarket samples were contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

Local health officials found evidence of the campylobacter bug on chicken cartons, which can induce vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

The food safety team at Birmingham council surveyed 20 supermarkets, convenience stores and butcher's shops across the city. They found that eight were contaminated on the outside of the packet.

They also found seven chickens were contaminated inside the wrapping, while one tested positive for salmonella. There was no link between those infected inside and outside the packaging. Both types of bacteria are dealt with by thorough cooking and hand washing.

The council's food safety team are believed to be the first to test packaging and they have now reported their findings to the Government's Food Standards Agency and major retail chains.

During the last three years there have been a steady rate of just over 900 reported cases of campylobacter poisoning a year in Birmingham.

Team manager Nick Lowe said: 'Our message to consumers is that handling the packaging should be regarded as just as likely to cause food poisoning and touching the raw meat.'

He said that the contamination is believed to take place during the manufacturing and shipping. But fears that once handled in a supermarket the bacteria can be passed on through trolley handles, shopping bags and transfered to other foods.

In one supermarket a pool of juice collected on the chiller shelf was also contaminated.

The survey was welcomed by the council's public protection committee.

Councillor Ray Hassall, said: 'It's incredible you can pick up the packaging without knowing what's on it.

'Mind you I am not going to let it put me off my chicken.'

Source of Article

[Charles.C]

Excellent find.

Team manager Nick Lowe said: 'Our message to consumers is that handling the packaging should be regarded as just as likely to cause food poisoning and [as??] touching the raw meat'

Hopefully there is some data to go with this fearsome hypothesis ?. (particularly in view of the well-established levels of chicken contamination which are known to exist in UK?).

The distribution (and cause) of the current results is certainly also intriguing - Scores on Doors should have its scope enlarged perhaps ?

One would hv thought it might hv been worthwhile to include some of the most famous textbook warnings about working (handling!!) with raw chicken meat (rapidly corrected by the delightful footnotes).

Based on the additional, pictorial, cross-linked articles in the page, the Mail was initially a bit nervous that this item was too dry for their average readers. Nothing like a bit of footy to liven things up

Rgds / Charles.C

[Mike Green]

Excellent find.



Hopefully there is some data to go with this fearsome hypothesis ?. (particularly in view of the well-established levels of chicken contamination which are known to exist in UK?).

The distribution (and cause) of the current results is certainly also intriguing - Scores on Doors should have its scope enlarged perhaps ?

One would hv thought it might hv been worthwhile to include some of the most famous textbook warnings about working (handling!!) with raw chicken meat (rapidly corrected by the delightful footnotes).

Based on the additional, pictorial, cross-linked articles in the page, the Mail was initially a bit nervous that this item was too dry for their average readers. Nothing like a bit of footy to liven things up

Rgds / Charles.C

to put some 'meat on the bones'-some research (from 2004)- on contamination of retail packaging- indicating(in 2004 at least) salmonella on packing was not as prevelant as on the meat

-I wonder if they tested for campylobacter?

Mike

Attached Files

•  retail packaging.doc   243.5KB   16 downloads

[GMO]

Frightening when you think about the practicalities of shopping. I kind of separate shopping in the trolley but not as much as these results suggest I should. In fact, in future, I think I'll use the segregated part at the end for meat.

I once challenged a member of staff in Tesco who was opening a pack of bacon vac packs and dumping them on the floor before stacking the shelf. I said to him this wasn't good practice because of the cross contamination risk from the pack exterior. I won't tell you what was said but it started with a swear word.

Edited by GMO, 31 January 2011 - 07:49 PM.