Campylobacter levels remain steady in UK-produced chickens
Today (13 September 2018) the major UK retailers have published* their latest campylobacter testing results, which shows that contamination in UK-produced chickens remains steady.
The data from April to June 2018 shows that 3.7% of chickens tested positive for the highest level of campylobacter contamination, which is similar to that seen in the last set of results (3.8% from January to March 2018) and lower than the first publication covering July to September 2017, which was 4.6%.
We’d like to remind consumers that the risk of becoming unwell from handling and eating chicken is low in Scotland providing you follow our good hygiene and cooking tips.
The average percentage levels of campylobacter from the retailers tests can be seen below
| Months | Contamination levels (cfu/g) Less than 10 cfu/g | Contamination levels (cfu/g) 10-99 cfu/g | Contamination levels (cfu/g) 100-1000 cfu/g | Contamination levels (cfu/g) Over 1000 cfu/g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July-September 2017 | 48.7% | 28.3% | 18.4% | 4.6% |
| October-December 2017 | 57.7% | 22.0% | 16.7% | 3.6% |
| January-March 2018 | 59.1% | 23.9% | 13.2% | 3.8% |
| April-June 2018 | 60.6% | 23.3% | 12.5% | 3.7% |
*The latest campylobacter testing results (April to June 2018) published by retailers.
This is the blog for SQA’s Hospitality and Food and Drink teams, where you will find all the latest news, information and updates relating to the work that we do.
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