Food
Buying chicken
Introduction
Chicken is one of the main culprits for campylobacter, and some supermarkets are making it too easy for us to spread the risk.
Kiwis love chicken. Every year we eat about 35kg per person. It's cheap, versatile, nutritious, and (with the skin off) low in fat. But dripping raw chicken packs in supermarkets and butcheries are of real concern for spreading food-poisoning bugs.
We went mystery shopping to see what is being done to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.
About our survey
The fact that chicken is full of campylobacter isn't breaking news. We've been writing about this unwelcome guest for years. When we last tested fresh chicken in 2003, 85 percent of the beasties were contaminated with campylobacter.
In recent months we've been contacted by consumers concerned about chicken packs dripping with juice.
The juice drips into their trolley, along the conveyor belt at the check-out, into shopping bags, or on their hands ... potentially contaminating other food with food-poisoning bugs.
We visited 26 supermarkets and butcheries in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to see how their chicken food-safety processes stacked up.
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."
What's the problem?
Fresh raw chicken usually contains campylobacter - acknowledged as the major cause of food poisoning in New Zealand.
Last year there were 15,873 cases of campylobacteriosis. More than 950 people were hospitalised and one person died. Food caused about 60 percent of these cases, and chicken accounts for more than half of this 60 percent.
Campylobacter is naturally present in the chicken's gut, and infection can spread rapidly through a flock. Their flesh can get contaminated when the birds are slaughtered and processed.
You can also get campylobacteriosis from pets, farm animals and contaminated foods (such as unpasteurised milk, untreated water, and other raw meats).
The symptoms include stomach cramps, muscle pain, headache, nausea, diarrhoea (sometimes with blood), and fever. It can strike up to 10 days after the bacteria is ingested and the effects will usually last for several miserable days.
Children, older people, and those with poor immune systems are most at risk of becoming seriously ill.
What's the answer?
Last year, University of Otago public-health researchers said New Zealand should seriously consider banning the sale of fresh chicken and switch to frozen instead.
Although freezing isn't a perfect solution, it reduces the level of campylobacter in chicken.
However, the NZFSA says freezing chicken creates other problems. Chicken that isn't thawed properly can remain uncooked in the middle. And thawing creates problems because of dripping fluid.
The only way to kill campylobacter is to cook chicken properly. It's also important you handle raw chicken properly so you don't cross-contaminate other foods.
The NZFSA is working with the poultry industry in a review of practices for controlling campylobacter. All processes between rearing and eating poultry are under scrutiny - including poultry packaging and the post-freezing survival rate of campylobacter.
The strategy aims to see human cases of foodborne campylobacter fall by 50 percent over the next five years.
Because campylobacter occurs naturally in the gut of poultry, it's unlikely to be completely eliminated. Consumer education will always be important to ensure people cook and handle chicken safely.
Our advice
- Leak-proof packaging is the best option. However, all supermarkets, butchers and other retail outlets selling raw poultry should have plastic bags, hand sanitisers, tissues, and rubbish bins (for the disposal of contaminated tissues).
- If you're concerned about a retail outlet's food safety, complain to the management or contact your local council's public-health unit.
- When shopping, keep raw poultry separate from other foods
- If a chicken pack is dripping put it into a separate plastic bag and make sure it doesn't contaminate other foods in your trolley. Be careful not to contaminate your hands with raw chicken juices.
- Take chilled and frozen foods home as quickly as possible. Never leave them sitting in the heat of the car or on the bench at home.
- Cook chicken thoroughly. Use a meat thermometer and make sure it reaches a high enough temperature. Whole chicken should reach a temperature of 82°C, breast meat 77°C, minced and reheated poultry 74°C.
More information
- New Zealand Food Safety Authority: www.nzfsa.govt.nz
- Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand: www.pianz.org.nz
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Report by Belinda Allan