Foster Farms problems with salmonella contamination of its
chicken are featured in a documentary to air Tuesday on the Frontline program
of PBS (Public Broadcasting System).
Although Foster Farms is currently hailed as a leader in
reducing the incidence of salmonella to two per cent, far below the United
States average, it is plagued by a horrible past during which salmonella
persisted in its processing plants and products and eventually sickened
customers across the nation.
In its promotional materials, PBS says, “David E. Hoffman
investigates how and why the standards and laws around salmonella have failed
to keep up with the increasing danger posed by some strains of the bacteria.”
Called “The Trouble With Chicken”, the Frontline story is
being released in tandem with a new episode of Retro Report in The New York
Times exploring the Jack-in-the-Box tainted meat scandal.
There were four deaths and 732 confirmed cases of food
poisoning from people who ate hamburgers tainted with E. coli 0157:H7.
The documentary will compare and contrast the United States
Department of Agriculture’s declaration of E. coli O157:H7 as an adulterant in
raw ground beef with the regulatory decisions regarding salmonella
control.
