Most Raw Chicken Delivered To Hospitals Is Tainted

A multinational team of scientists reports that robust safety measures by hospital kitchen staff usually prevent the spread of food pathogens like antibiotic resistant E. coli bacteria, despite its extremely high occurrence in chicken delivered to hospital kitchens. They cautioned that household kitchens, where food safety precautions are less rigidly applied, can be a major focal point of foodborne disease. As much as 80 percent of the raw chicken used in hospital kitchens to prepare meals for patients and staff is contaminated with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), which produces E.coli. Careful preparation of the chicken eliminates most of the bacteria, but the arrival of the tainted chicken is a major concern.