Monday, May 11, 2015

Foster Farms hit in new documentary

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. 

There are people lobbying to have salmonella declared an adulterant in chicken and other meats.