CHICKEN NOT MAIN SALMONELLA CAUSE, OFFICIAL SAYS
A representative of the poultry
industry said statistics showed that chicken is less frequently
the cause of salmonella poisoning than beef, dairy products or
salads and other mixed foods.
    Kenneth May, President of Holly Farms Poultry Industries
and a director of the National Broiler Council, told a House
Agriculture subcommittee the incidence of salmonella in chicken
has not increased in recent years and that chicken is neither
the major source of the bacterial poisoning nor the cause of an
increase in outbreaks of the disease.
    May said the Center for Disease Control figures showed that
between 1978 and 1982, chicken was involved in four pct of all
U.S. salmonellosis outbreaks, while beef accounted for ten pct
of outbreaks and dairy products six pct.
    May said the remaining outbreaks were caused by salads and
mixed food, turkey, seafood, pork, eggs and other foods.
    May said the chicken industry favored moving away from
bird-by-bird inspection procedures to a risk assessment system
better able to identify microbial and bacterial contamination
of poultry.
    However, Ellen Haas, executive director of Public Voice for
Food and Health Policy, said bird-by-bird inspection should be
retained and labels should be attached to each ready-to-cook
chicken to remind consumers about preparation procedures
necessary to avoid illness.
    Haas also called for a review of present chicken industry
inspection methods that she said can worsen poultry hazards.
 Reuter
