Bacteria found in two-thirds of store-bought chicken

By Sheilah Downey

Two-thirds of broiler chickens purchased from stores in 22 states contained bacteria in levels that can make you sick, says a new report from Consumer Reports released today.

Whole broilers from Foster Farms, Perdue and Tyson and other producers bought from nationwide stores contained pathogenic bacteria salmonella and/or campylobacter, said the report, the leading causes of foodborne disease.

Although the recent numbers show a "modest improvement" from their 2007 report, when 8 out of 10 broilers harbored bacteria, the consumer watchdog agency says the numbers are still "far too high."

Pathogens Salmonella and campylobacter from chicken and other sources kill about 500 Americans each year, say estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria also infect about 3.4 million each year and send approximately 25,500 to hospitals.

In the recent anaylsis, an outside lab tested 382 chickens bought last spring from more than 100 supermarkets, including gourmet and natural food stores, in 22 states. Included were the three top chicken producers, Tyson, Perdue and Foster Farms, along with 30 nonorganic store brands, and organic brands.

The bacteria campylobacter was found in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella was found in 14 percent and both bacteria were found in 9 percent of chickens tested.

Only 34 percent of the birds were found to be free of both pathogens, according to the report.

The Perdue brand chickens were found to be the cleanest, with 56 percent of them free of both pathogenic bacteria.

The cleanest chickens found overall were the air-chilled chickens, said the report, while 40 percent still had one or both pathogens.

The most contaminated brands were Tyson and Foster Farms, with more than 80 percent testing positive for one or both pathogenic bacteria.