Abattoirs warned over food bug

Chicken should be cooked well

Many cases of chicken-related food poisoning may be caused by poor hygiene at abattoirs.

Scientists at the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) have found that many birds pick up the Campylobacter bacterium during the slaughtering process.

This germ is the most common cause of stomach bugs and food poisoning cases in the UK.

Despite the best efforts of the food production industry we are going to take Campylobacter into our kitchen

Jenny Frost, PHLS

The findings, presented at the PHLS annual scientific conference in Coventry, have prompted the scientists to call for more stringent safety measures in slaughter houses across the country.

Poultry often carry the germ. It can be passed on to humans and cause infections if the poultry is undercooked or poorly prepared.

Cross-infection

But Stephanie Bull and colleagues from the PHLS believe that the way poultry is killed may also be a factor.

The scientists examined chickens before the entered the abattoir and again after they had been slaughtered.

They found that many chickens picked up Campylobacter during that process.

Ms Bull said: "We studied the slaughtering process for poultry and found that some birds which were not infected with the bug when they entered the abattoir were carrying it at the end of processing.

"This is because they came into contact with equipment or surfaces that are contaminated by infected birds which were slaughtered earlier in the day.

"This means that the proportion of contaminated birds being sold into the human food chain is increased."

Ms Bull said the findings highlighted the need for better hygiene standards in slaughter houses.

"Until poultry flocks are relatively free of Campylobacter abattoir owners are urged to take reasonable precautions to prevent cross contamination of flocks during processing and consumers to take relevant care when preparing and cooking poultry."

Precautions

However, Jenny Frost head of the PHLS Campylobacter Reference Unit acknowledged that it was difficult to eradicate the germ.

"The majority of chickens are Campylobacter positive and it is very difficult to eliminate it."

But speaking to BBC News Online she said: "The message to the consumer or caterer is that despite the best efforts of the food production industry we are going to take Campylobacter into our kitchen.

"But we can reduce the risks with good hygiene practice in the kitchen."