For the past year, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been running a survey to measure the amount of Campylobacter in chickens for sale in local grocery stores. Due to changes in how chickens are processed, the agency has now announced that it will suspend testing for the time being.
Traditionally, the FSA’s Campylobacter testing measured levels of the bacteria on the chicken’s neck skin. In general, this is usually the most contaminated part of the bird. However, food processors are increasingly removing the neck skin before the chickens make it to retailers. While this growing practice does decrease the risk of food poisoning for consumers, it poses a new challenge for the FSA’s survey, testing methods and the findings.