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Since April 2017, more than 1,300 tonnes of poultry contaminated with salmonella have been exported to the UK from Brazil – an investigation has found.
The investigation, conducted by the Guardian, Repórter Brasil, and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, found Brazil’s contamination rate currently stands at 20 percent – meaning one in five birds test positive for salmonella.
According to the Guardian, this statistic might actually be higher as only one in five batches are subject to ‘mandatory microbiological testing’.
‘Not a risk’
Last year, the EU banned poultry from the world’s largest exporter of frozen chicken – Brazil. However, data analysis by the investigative team found that salmonella-infected meat from Brazil is still being picked up in EU border checks.
In charge of coordinating meat inspections for the Brazilian government, Alexandre Campos da Silva, described the contamination rate as ‘not a risk’ – as bacteria are killed during the cooking process.
Salmonella outbreaks
However, last year, at least 40 people were hospitalized in America following a salmonella outbreak that was linked to raw turkey.
Similarly, 14 people fell ill from salmonella poisoning last September – resulting in an egg recall across Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.
