There's a reason why no one orders their chicken rare. Like pork, the popular poultry is a breeding ground for harmful and potentially deadly bacteria. In fact, two-thirds of store-bought chicken is contaminated with salmonella and campylobacter, a new study by Consumer Reports concludes (Justice News Flash).
And even though we're told to thoroughly cook chicken before eating it, products liability lawsuits over contaminated poultry are quite common (Salmonella Lawsuit Blog).
Consumer Reports tested 382 broiler chickens bought from 100 stores across the country. Chicken from the largest producers, Tyson and Foster Farms, had the highest rates of contamination at about 80 percent. Perdue chicken only had a 44 percent rate.
But the safest chicken proved to be organic, "air-chilled" chicken, at just 40 percent (which still seems quite high). While store-bought organic chicken contained campylobacter, all samples were clear of salmonella.
A small-scale organic farmer featured in the important documentary "Food Inc." discusses how his humane, open-air butchering techniques produce safer poultry.
Apparently not everyone adequately cooks their chicken, or else fails to properly sanitize countertops and cutting boards after preparing meals, since salmonella poisoning (or salmonellosis) affects more than 1 million Americans annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
It's not clear whether or not consumers can sue for getting sick from undercooked chicken prepared at home, but there have been outbreaks related to chicken at fast food restaurants and in packaged foods. Contact an Illinois injury attorney if you think you have a claim.
- Salmonellosis FAQ (CDC)
- Campylobacter FAQ (CDC)
- Food Poisoning and the Law (FindLaw)
- Chicago Injury Lawyers (FindLaw)
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