Campylobacter infections can cause acute gastroenteritis with diarrhoea and vomiting
Food Poisoning
NEARLY all chicken produced in Ireland is contaminated with a dangerous bacteria, according to a new EU study.
The situation is so bad that retailers have been urged to package chicken in special leak-proof bags to reduce cross-contamination. It also emerged that the outside of chicken packaging and supermarket shelves are being contaminated with the bacteria, campylobacter, due to leakage.
The level of incidence in Ireland was 98pc -- nearly one-third higher than the European average, according to the European Food Safety Agency.
The agency said Irish chicken had the second-highest incidence of campylobacter among 26 EU countries in 2008. Campylobacter infections can cause acute gastroenteritis with diarrhoea and vomiting, and can be life threatening in the elderly and the very young.
The agency said that across the EU, an average 76pc of chicken they tested at slaughterhouses in 2008 was infected with campylobacter. All chickens it tested in Luxembourg showing positive for campylobacter. But only 4pc of Finnish chickens had the bacteria.
It is now the number-one cause of food poisoning in Ireland, with 1,758 cases in 2008 and provisional data showing 1,823 reported cases in 2009.
Prevalence
A recent Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) survey also examined the prevalence of campylobacter on the surface of chicken packaging. The FSAI report, which is currently being finalised, highlights that 13.2pc of the external surface of chicken packaging and 10.9pc of the surface of retail display cabinets were contaminated with campylobacter.
They found less contamination (2.1pc) on packaging designed to prevent leakage, by comparison with conventional packaging (18.9pc). Campylobacter is a naturally occurring bacterium found in the intestinal tract of livestock and poultry. The danger from the bacteria can be removed by thoroughly cooking the meat.
The chief executive of the FSAI, Prof Alan O'Reilly, said the findings of both studies would feed into a campylobacter control programme in Irish chicken, currently being worked on by the agency and the Government. He reminded caterers and retailers of their legal obligation to use good hygienic practice to prevent cross-contamination.
The FSAI asked the Irish retail sector to source chicken products from producers using leak-proof packaging -- or to provide customers with specific bags to prevent leakage. The Irish Farmers' Association would not comment on the findings of the survey last night except to say that "consumers should continue to prepare and cook chicken as they would always do -- and if they do that there's no cause for concern".
Food Poisoning
NEARLY all chicken produced in Ireland is contaminated with a dangerous bacteria, according to a new EU study.
The situation is so bad that retailers have been urged to package chicken in special leak-proof bags to reduce cross-contamination. It also emerged that the outside of chicken packaging and supermarket shelves are being contaminated with the bacteria, campylobacter, due to leakage.
The level of incidence in Ireland was 98pc -- nearly one-third higher than the European average, according to the European Food Safety Agency.
The agency said Irish chicken had the second-highest incidence of campylobacter among 26 EU countries in 2008. Campylobacter infections can cause acute gastroenteritis with diarrhoea and vomiting, and can be life threatening in the elderly and the very young.
The agency said that across the EU, an average 76pc of chicken they tested at slaughterhouses in 2008 was infected with campylobacter. All chickens it tested in Luxembourg showing positive for campylobacter. But only 4pc of Finnish chickens had the bacteria.
It is now the number-one cause of food poisoning in Ireland, with 1,758 cases in 2008 and provisional data showing 1,823 reported cases in 2009.
Prevalence
A recent Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) survey also examined the prevalence of campylobacter on the surface of chicken packaging. The FSAI report, which is currently being finalised, highlights that 13.2pc of the external surface of chicken packaging and 10.9pc of the surface of retail display cabinets were contaminated with campylobacter.
They found less contamination (2.1pc) on packaging designed to prevent leakage, by comparison with conventional packaging (18.9pc). Campylobacter is a naturally occurring bacterium found in the intestinal tract of livestock and poultry. The danger from the bacteria can be removed by thoroughly cooking the meat.
The chief executive of the FSAI, Prof Alan O'Reilly, said the findings of both studies would feed into a campylobacter control programme in Irish chicken, currently being worked on by the agency and the Government. He reminded caterers and retailers of their legal obligation to use good hygienic practice to prevent cross-contamination.
The FSAI asked the Irish retail sector to source chicken products from producers using leak-proof packaging -- or to provide customers with specific bags to prevent leakage. The Irish Farmers' Association would not comment on the findings of the survey last night except to say that "consumers should continue to prepare and cook chicken as they would always do -- and if they do that there's no cause for concern".
