§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the percentage of broiler chickens infected with salmonella; and what was the percentage in each of the last 10 years. [8659]
§ Mr. RookerThe levels of salmonella in broiler chickens are surveyed periodically at the retail stage. The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food produced a report on poultry meat in 1996 which contains details of Government-funded retail surveys on the prevalence of salmonella in UK-produced raw chicken. This information is set out in the table.
Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in raw chicken, 1979–1994 Survey Source and type Number of chickens Number (percentage) with salmonella spp. 1979–80 UK, frozen 100 79 (79) 1987 UK, frozen 101 65 (64) 1990 UK, frozen 143 77 (54) 1994 UK, frozen 281 114 (41) 1987 UK, chilled 103 56 (54) 1990 UK, chilled 143 58 (41) 1994 UK, chilled 281 93 (33) As can be seen from the table, the prevalence of salmonella in chickens on retail sale has declined markedly over the years. However, it remains essential to observe the normal rules of food hygiene when handling and cooking chickens in order to minimise the risk of food poisoning.