NOBULL: The high cost of cheap chicken — 97% of the breasts we tested harbored bacteria that could make you sick
Dangerous bacteria
When you shop at your favorite grocery store, you probably assume that the food on display is safe to take home. But in the poultry aisle, that simple assumption could make you very sick. Consumer Reports’ recent analysis of more than 300 raw chicken breasts purchased at stores across the U.S. found potentially harmful bacteria lurking in almost all of the chicken, including organic brands. In fact, we were conducting our research when news of the national salmonella outbreak linked to three Foster Farms chicken plants became public. In that case 389 people were infected, and 40 percent of them were hospitalized, double the usual percentage in most outbreaks linked to salmonella. (Read aboutsustainable alternatives when it comes to raising chickens and watch our video on the use of antibiotics in animals.)