There have been several media reports in recent days A European study on the existence of pathogenic agents Antibiotic resistance in chicken from Lidl supermarket chain. In the Spanish case up to 71% of the sample. Such studies are interesting and very easy to manipulate; But, in reality, it does not change at all what we know about food safety in the European Union. Or, of course, what to do while we cook.
Let’s see why
What happened? result A European report which analyzed 142 chicken products in 22 Lidl stores in Spain, Germany, Italy, UK and Poland. In 2023 Similar reports have already been published. Focused on Germany only.
What does the report say? According to the conclusion of the report, 50% of 142 samples were “antibiotic-resistant bacteria” and 74% were “stool microbes”. In the Spanish case, the numbers rise to 71% and 83% for multi-resistant bacteria. E coli and other related microorganisms.
In addition, they found Listeria in 38% of Spanish samples and Campylobacter (associated with gastrointestinal problems) in 83%. Salmonella found in Spain.
Is it reliable? Reportedly, funded by animal rights organizations or Dedicated to promoting animal welfare Therefore, it is legitimate to ask about potential conflicts of interest that may exist. However, what is important here is not the scientific aspect, but the communicative aspect.
For two reasons: the first is that, in principle, the technical part is carried out by an independent laboratory Recognized by DAkkS And there is no apparent reason to doubt the results. The second is that they are not surprising at all.
Isn’t that amazing? Obviously, the presence of this type of bacteria in chickens is undesirable. But when we reported a positive result of hepatitis A virus in some Moroccan strawberries a few months ago, it is undoubtedly less serious than it seems.
On the one hand, we have a very extensive database of alert and disease data that makes it clear to us that there is no potential public health problem. Let’s recall the analysis of the chicken is “raw”. And that, to eat, it must be cooked.
None of these bacteria (or any other type) survive the preparation process: For bacteria to cause a health problem, an important series of risk behaviors must be strung together — whether or not they are resistant to antibiotics.
So… shouldn’t we care about it? Not even that. The regulator is bound by more safety mechanisms to reduce potential problems arising in the food industry. There is no doubt that we must aim for better systems that increasingly reduce the likelihood of food poisoning or contamination.
However, these reports are designed with the declared (and, moreover, legitimate) objective of creating a particular opinion environment. We should not shy away from it because it is a key element in the debate.
But we are talking about “antibiotic-resistant bacteria”, right? We’ve already seen what they call “faecal microbes”, something that can also happen with plant products and something we’ve been working on for decades. On the other hand there are “antibiotic-resistant bacteria”, something that will become more and more common because, unfortunately, there are more and more of them (and they are everywhere).
If you want to give the impression that this presence is due to the use of antibiotics in the meat we buy, we only need to repeat once that such practices are illegal and, in any case, extremely rare. of 123,000 samples Only 239 of the meats tested for antibiotics by the European Food Safety Authority did not meet legal requirements. It is 0.18%.
So what can we do? The same thing we should already be doing. It’s worth remembering Up to 60% of food poisoning They happen at home itself. So it makes perfect sense for us to implement safe practices when storing, handling and preparing food.
These practices are divided into two blocks: The first is to consume healthy food that is safe. “To ensure this, you must go to establishments that have the relevant health controls and that the food comes from approved and registered (…) industries with the corresponding labeling,” The Galician Health Service explained to us.
The second block is safely cooked. As Gemma del Cano explained a few years agoThe measures are simple: cook food thoroughly, clean hands and surfaces, Do not wash the chicken And refrigerate all food well (and don’t mix raw and cooked food).
Picture | Open Grid Scheduler/Grid Engine
In BDtechsupport | The meat we eat is safe regardless of what the UN Twitter account says. And no, it does not contain antibiotics