The Five Worst Contaminants in Chicken Products Infographic

by Jennie Richards · Published October 13, 2020 · Updated October 21, 2020

Chicken is more dangerous to eat than you think. Not only is it unsafe to eat, it has some serious health risks associated with it.

According to a new study by Consumer Reports, some 97% of raw chicken in U.S. supermarkets is contaminated with bacteria that could make you sick. Over 3,000 people die annually from bacteria found in chicken causing food poisoning. Chicken is also one of the greatest sources of saturated fat, and the second leading source of cholesterol in the American diet. In addition, chicken is a leading source of HCAs or heterocyclic amines, which are cancer-causing chemicals that form in meat when it is cooked, and it occurs especially in chicken. Eating chicken also puts you at greater risk for cancer, diabetes and obesity.

In August 2015, PBS aired “The Trouble With Chicken,” on Frontline. Their report cited dangerous new bacterial threats found in chicken, especially antibiotic-resistant Salmonella. They reported some bacterial strains are becoming more severe and difficult to treat. Over 200,000 people are being sickened annually from contaminated poultry. PBS reported that Foster Farm’s chickens have been found with Salmonella Heidelberg, a bacteria that fast-tracks into the tissues with dramatic speed and is so virulent it contaminates the blood and kills them. Salmonella from meat sickens and kills more Americans than any other food-borne pathogen.

Over the past 15 years, Salmonella linked to poultry has increased dramatically due to industrialized factory farming techniques and confining chickens into over-crowded spaces and slaughtering chickens at a faster speed than ever before, contaminating the meat. Our industrial animal agriculture system is broken the report determined—as a result of significantly fewer meat inspections by the U.S. government, a lack of oversight by the FDA and USDA, and a complete lack of stringent government regulations. Foster Farms and other poultry producers have chosen to completely ignore the problem. The federal government is allowing Salmonella and other food-borne bacteria strains from meat, poultry and milk—to be accepted as a result of taking a pro-meat and poultry industry position and not pro-consumer or consumer safety position.