Which Chickens Failed the Salmonella Inspection?
Food and Water Watch trumped the USDA by releasing information about which chickens failed USDA Salmonella inspections from 1998 to 2005. The government agency had not made the information available to the consumers it’s supposed to protect.
Salmonella bacteria cause more food-borne illnesses than any other problem: one million cases each year, 9,000 of which lead to hospitalization, and 250 of which lead to death. Sure you can cook every last drop of flavor out of your chicken, but wouldn’t it be nice to avoid contaminated birds in the first place?
The most fascinating aspect of the report, other than the knowledge about who fails, is that the government considers 50% Salmonella contamination “acceptable” for ground poultry. Cook those turkey sausages well.
