29.05.2015
The FSA has today published the final set of results from its year-long survey of campylobacter on fresh chickens. Campylobacter is a food bug mainly found on raw poultry and is the biggest cause of food poisoning in the UK.
Cumulative results for samples taken between February 2014 and February 2015 have now been published as official statistics, including results presented by major retailer.
The results for the full year show:
19% of chickens tested positive for campylobacter within the highest band of contamination*
73% of chickens tested positive for the presence of campylobacter
0.1% (five samples) of packaging tested positive at the highest band of contamination
7% of packaging tested positive for the presence of campylobacter
*More than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (>1,000 cfu/g). These units indicate the degree of contamination on each sample.
More than 4,000 samples of fresh whole chilled chickens and packaging have been tested. The chickens were bought from large UK retail outlets and smaller independent stores and butchers. The data shows variations between the retailers, but none has met the target for reducing campylobacter.
None of the retailers achievedthe joint industry target for reducing campylobacter highest contamination level to 10%.
The FSA has welcomed the publication today of case studies by Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, the Co-op and Waitrose showing the results of their recently implemented campylobacter reduction plans. The data show significant decreases in the incidence of campylobacter on their raw whole chickens. The tests were carried out on more recent samples than those taken from the FSA survey samples, with some targeted to demonstrate the effect of particular interventions.
It is estimated that approximately one in every 1,000 reported Campylobacter illnesses leads to Guillain-Barré syndrome (an acute polyneuropathy, a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system). As many as 40% of Guillain-Barré syndrome cases may be triggered by campylobacteriosis.