On March 19, Tyson Foods Inc. reported that the incidence of salmonella companywide had been reduced to less than 10 percent. Because campylobacter and salmonella are leading causes of food poisoning in the U.S., we thought it worthwhile to recheck chickens for both bacteria. In addition to chickens from Foster Farms and Tyson, we tested those from two other leading brands, Perdue and Country Pride. Over four weeks last May and June, we returned to grocery stores around the U.S. and bought about 400 fresh, whole chickens. Our shoppers packed them in coolers and sent them overnight to an independent lab.
Results are in the table below.
As we had found earlier, no brand was cleaner than others across the board. And while the percentage of its chickens contaminated with salmonella had been a very low 4 percent before, this time it was about average, at 11 percent. But a higher percentage had campylobacter this time. Among the measures Tyson will likely use against contamination is Preempt, a product recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It contains beneficial bacteria and is sprayed on chicks, who ingest it when they peck their feathers.