What we found

If you're buying a pre-packed roast chicken, you and the contents of your trolley will probably be safe. Most pre-packed chickens are in double leak-guard packaging.

We applaud industry for taking this food-safety step.

But it's a mixed bag at the butchery section of the supermarket.

Foodstuffs supermarkets (New World and Pak 'N Save) did the best job of keeping you and your trolley bug-free.

• All the Pak 'N Save supermarkets in our survey provided plastic bags to put your chicken in - and tissues for wiping your hands.
  
  
• All New World supermarkets, with the exception of Silverstream, supplied plastic bags and tissues. New World Chaffers Park and New World Thorndon also provided hand sanitiser.
  
  
• At Woolworths, shoppers were provided with tissues. But only one Woolworths store had plastic bags to put the chicken in.
  
  
• Only one Countdown supermarket had plastic bags; none provided tissues. But our surveyors noted the Countdown chicken was packed in deep trays with heavy plastic wrap.
  
  
• Moore Wilson's (based in Wellington) provided plastic bags and self-drying hand sanitisers at its chicken fridge.
  
  
• The Mad Butcher chain was the worst food-safety offender. There were no plastic bags or tissues available.

On the downside, some supermarkets didn't have any rubbish bins. It's all very well providing tissues to wipe your mucky hands - but where do you put the contaminated tissues?

Leak-proof packaging desirable

Chris Hewins, (right) Programme Manager for Retail Sale at the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), said complaints about dripping chicken packs should be a concern to supermarkets and other retail meat outlets.

He told us: "Using leak-proof packaging for all chicken products would be highly desirable. Only providing a plastic bag relies on customers being proactive - and by the time they've put the chicken in the bag, they may already have chicken juices on their hand."