FSA: Campylobacter in UK chickens on the decline

20.11.2015

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the first set of results from its second year survey of campylobacter on fresh shop-bought chickens. This report presents the results of the UK Survey of Campylobacter contamination in fresh retail chicken and its packaging, for the period Jul-Sept 2015. These results are based on a total of 1,032 of fresh, whole, chilled, unflavoured chickens sampled at retail. The overall results are weighted to reflect retailer market share. The present survey began at the start of July 2015 and will be running for a full 12 months. A planned 4,000 chickens will be sampled at retail and tested for their level of Campylobacter contamination. This present survey may be referred to as Year 2 as it follows on from an equivalent survey (Year 1) which was intended to represent the 12 months starting mid-Feb 2014. This report also includes revised figures for Year 1 of the survey, weighted based on the much more up to date market share data on which the latest figures (July-Sept 2015) are based. The figures in this report are estimates based on a sample survey and so there is a degree of uncertainty associated with them.
Key results
• The latest results show that in Jul-Sept 2015, 14.9% of chickens (skin samples) had levels of Campylobacter over 1000 cfu/g, a statistically significant reduction from 21.7% over the same period last year (Jul-Sept 2014).
• For comparing the percentage of chickens with levels of Campylobacter above 1000 cfu/g between retailers, each retailer was compared to the overall average (weighted according to market share) among all other retailers:
- The only named retailers which had a significantly lower prevalence compared to the average among all other retailers were: Waitrose (4.1%) and Co-op (4.7%).
- The only named retailers which had a significantly higher prevalence compared to the average among all other retailers were: Morrisons (25.7%) and Asda (23.5%).
The new data shows 15% of chickens tested positive for the highest level of contamination, down from 22% in July to September 2014. Campylobacter was present on 76% of chicken samples, down from 83% in the same months of last year.