Asda hit hardest by latest campylobacter results

A total of 73% of shop-bought whole raw chickens tested positive for the pathogen, according to the data, which consolidates nine months of figures​.

Almost one in five tested positive for the highest levels of contamination - more than 1,000 colony forming units per gramme.

Of all the retailers named, Asda proved the worst offender, with 78.9% of samples testing positive for some level of contamination.

It was closely followed by Morrisons, with a score of 76.2%. In third place was the Co-operative Group, with 76.5% of its chickens indicating some degree of taint. Tesco achieved the best results, with 68.2% of samples contaminated.

‘No quick fix’​

A spokeswoman for Asda said it was committed to doing everything it could to tackle the problem, but stressed there was no “quick fix” that would solve it overnight.

“We were the first supermarket to introduce Roast in a Bag Chicken, which has been named Product of the Year 2015,”​ she said. “Following customer research, we have decided to move the majority of our range into this packaging, which removes the need for customers to handle raw meat.​

“We continue to work collaboratively with our suppliers on industry leading initiatives including Sonosteam, which applies a steam and ultrasound to whole birds that kills campylobacter. Initial trials are positive and we expect to have full results soon.​

“We have invested time and money into examining each step of our supply chain from factory to shelf to assess our processes and to avoid any opportunity for cross contamination.”​

Asda’s guidance to customers remained the same, she said: they should refrain from washing chickens, which could spread contamination through splashing. If they cooked them properly, this would kill all traces of the pathogen, she added.

‘Unacceptable’​

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: “It’s unacceptable that we’re still seeing such high and rising levels of campylobacter in chicken. While four major supermarkets have made their action plans public, the remaining three have yet to say how they’re planning to tackle this bug.​

“People need reassurance that supermarkets are doing everything they can to make chicken safe. The remaining retailers must publish their plans and commit to action now before consumer​s lose confidence​ in them.”​

While stressing that more work needed to be done, the FSA welcomed Marks & Spencer’s (M&S’s) recently implemented five-point intervention plan to reduce campylobacter on its chickens.

It highlighted preliminary results published by M&S yesterday​ (February 26) indicating a significant reduction in the number of the most highly contaminated birds.

M&S’s approach, in partnership with 2 Sisters Food Group, entailed bonuses for campylobacter-free farms, better farm biosecurity, blast surface chilling, clear labelling and double bagging of chickens.

Steve Wearne, FSA director of policy, said: “We now know it is possible to make positive inroads in the reduction of campylobacter. Figures released today by M&S show that their intervention plan has resulted in fewer contaminated chickens on sale in their stores. If one retailer can achieve this campylobacter reduction through systematic interventions then others can, and should.​

“Our survey is putting pressure on retailers to work with poultry processors to do more to tackle campylobacter. We want the industry to reduce the number of the most highly contaminated chickens as we know this will have the greatest impact on public health.”​

The British Poultry Council (BPC) welcomed the survey results, highlighting the food industry’s progress in battling campylobacter in stores.

‘Significant progress’​

“We welcome the news that retailers and their suppliers are making significant progress, and hope that proven technology will be made commercially available across the sector,” ​said BPC ceo Andrew Large, commenting on the results.

“The BPC remains committed to collaborative working between industry, retailers, and regulators, as we believe this is where long-term consistency will emerge. This joint effort is a complement to the creativity and investment we are seeing.” ​

“We are pleased to see the FSA's commitment to solving this problem remains as strong as our own, and we look forward to being able to demonstrate good progress as we move through 2015.”​

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at trade body the British Retail Consortium, said:

“Tackling campylobacter is our number one priority and retailers continue to invest with suppliers to find a practical solution. Unfortunately this is a complex organism but we are determined to find a solution as quickly as possible”​

The FSA plans to publish 12-month figures in May. Previous quarterly data it released in November​ showed an average of 70% of samples were contaminated by campylobacter. Figures for the six-month period echoed the latest results, with Asda coming out worst, with 78% of samples contaminated.

Summary of overall contamination by top seven retailers surveyed​