So yesterday we went to the store to stock up on supplies for the week and as I made my way over to the chicken, my husband says, "Do NOT get Foster Farms it has had a salmonella outbreak!" I was all, "But then wouldn't it have been recalled?"
To which my husband answered, "Apparently not." Turns out he's totally right.
Read more ¿Qué más?: Recall Alert: 40,000 beds could pose dangerous cutting risk to your kids!
Sampling by USDA in September linked raw chicken processed by three Foster Farms plants to a salmonella outbreak that started WAY back in March. Over 317 people have been reported sick and 42 percent of the victims have been hospitalized, which is almost twice the normal rate of hospitalization. So why the heck hasn't the chicken been recalled? On Thursday the USDA said it would allow Foster Farms plants to continue operating under more stringent food safety controls, but then one day letter the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak has spread. Plus it makes no sense, there is contaminated chicken out there already. More strident food safety controls are all good and well, but that won't uncontaminate the tainted chicken that has already made it onto the shelves.
Daniel Engeljohn, a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service official, was asked in an interview by Meatingplace on the decision to not recall the chicken and he gave some kind of mumbo jumbo answer about not being able to prove that the product was adulterated. Quite frankly his answer made no sense to me and seems to fail to protect the public, but what do I know of mumbo jumbo?
What does this mean for the public? Beware of chicken! Cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, avoid cross contamination, clean, clean, and clean.
Image via Thinkstock
