Chicken - not always appetizing

WDR calls for caution with packaged fresh poultry - test showed clear hygiene deficiencies

A random test by the WDR revealed little that was appetizing: two thirds of the tested, packaged poultry meat had already spoiled by the printed use-by date. The chicken legs smelled bad, were greasy and full of germs and bacteria.

30 packs of ready-to-cook poultry of various brands and price ranges were tested. Chicken breasts as well as chicken thighs and schnitzel, all from the self-service counter. Just nine of these samples were still sensory and microbiologically in order on the last day of the consumption period. For the other samples, the following was true: appetite is gone.

The most common complaints during the sensory test were a noticeable, strong odor as well as greasy and sometimes discolored meat. And the laboratory tests were no better: The testers found intestinal bacteria and pus pathogens. In addition, masses of pseudomonads were detected - germs that are responsible for meat spoilage. The high number of bacteria suggests that the processing was not hygienically flawless, the cold chain from the packaging to the laboratory was not fully maintained or the calculation of the best-before date was too optimistic.

The full test results can be found here:

http://www.wdr.de/tv/service/kostprobe/download/20040216/gefluegel.phtml

Source: Cologne [wdr]