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More chickens test positive for Salmonella
There has been a fourfold increase in positive test results for Salmonella
enteritidis (Se) on chicken carcasses over the five-year period from 2000 to
2005, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Salmonella, which is more commonly found in eggs, has been showing up more
often in chicken, and the levels need to be reduced, according to Richard
Raymond, the
USDA
undersecretary for food safety.
"It still continues to rise, even though the overall incidence of
salmonella in general has fallen," said Raymond. "It's one that we still don't
have all the scientific evidence we need to know how best to attack it."
Salmonella causes illness in at least 40,000 people and kills about 600
every year in the US.
The research was done before the Agriculture Department started a new
program to reduce positive tests for Salmonella.
Since then, the incidence of Salmonella has fallen from 18 percent in 2005
to 10 percent today, Raymond said.
Cooking poultry to 165 degrees will kill the Salmonella germ. The
government also strongly recommends that people use food thermometers and follow
basic rules for kitchen safety: wash hands often, keep raw poultry and meat
separate from cooked food, and refrigerate or freeze food right away.
Editor WorldPoultry
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