TIME: Almanac 1993/TIME Almanac 1993.iso/time/112690/1126570.000

Text File | 1992-08-28 | 4.0 KB | 87 lines

                                                                                FOOD, Page 78

The Dangers of Foul Fowl


As poultry's popularity grows, the scourge of salmonella spreads


    When Americans sit down to their Thanksgiving turkey this
week, some uninvited guests could turn a nice meal into a
miserable occasion. If the big bird is not thoroughly cooked,
it could pass on bacteria that cause fever, stomach cramps,
vomiting, diarrhea -- all the classic symptoms of food
poisoning. Often the culprit is salmonella, a nasty microbe
that, despite industry and government inspections, lurks in
perhaps 35% of all poultry sold in the U.S.

    Salmonella poisoning has been around for a long time, but
the number of reported cases has surged, from 33,700 in 1980
to 47,800 last year. Those figures represent only a small
fraction of the problem, since most cases, while unpleasant,
pass quickly and go unreported. Experts believe that each year
as many as 4 million Americans have a bout with salmonella.
Occasionally the infection is serious enough to require
hospitalization, and it can lead to arthritis, neurological
problems and even death. The elderly, AIDS sufferers and others
with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to the
disease, which claims 2,000 lives annually.

    One reason for the spread of salmonella, ironically, is
Americans' determination to guard their health. In the quest
to keep cholesterol levels down, people are turning more often
to low-fat poultry: annual per capita consumption of chicken
alone has risen from 40 lbs. in 1970 to more than 70 lbs. this
year. Unfortunately, mass-production techniques make many
poultry farms and plants prime breeding grounds for salmonella.
Different strains of the bacteria can contaminate eggs as well
as meat. (Raw cow's milk can also be tainted, but beef is less
of a problem than poultry because the slaughtering process is
cleaner.)

    Chickens typically travel a filthy path from the farm
through the slaughterhouse. Stuffed 10 or 12 to a cage on the
truck to the processing plant, they eat one another's
germ-laden excrement and spread it on their feathers and skin.
At the plant, the birds move rapidly along a disassembly line
where they are killed, dropped in scalding water, mechanically
defeathered and eviscerated, and chilled in huge water tanks
that usually become contaminated. "This is really no different
than putting these birds in your toilet," contends Gerald
Kuester, a microbiologist with the Public Citizen advocacy
group.

    Poultry producers are trying to deal with the situation.
They put chlorine in the chilling tanks, and they are
experimenting with other chemicals in hopes of finding one that
is more effective against salmonella. Irradiation could wipe
out the bacteria, but it would be costly and consumer
acceptance might be low, since many people mistakenly believe
that zapping food with radiation makes it dangerous to eat. The
visual inspections carried out routinely in the plants can weed
out obviously diseased chickens, but the contamination is
usually invisible. A panel of experts convened by the government
may recommend soon that the Department of Agriculture develop
better tests to detect salmonella.

    For now, the best safeguard is to clean up kitchen
techniques in homes and restaurants. The basic instructions:
cook poultry until the juices run clear, and thoroughly wash
hands and food preparation surfaces as well as all plates and
utensils that come into contact with raw poultry. Dane Bernard,
director of microbiology at the National Food Processors
Association, asserts that proper handling by cooks could reduce
the number of salmonella infections at least 75%. Caution is
the key. Warns Joseph Madden of the Food and Drug
Administration's microbiology division: "The consumer should
assume that any poultry product has bacteria on it."


By David Bjerklie. Reported by Michael Riley/Washington.