Despite extensive labelling efforts by manufacturers and retailers, some consumers don't follow simple instructions for cooking breaded chicken products to eliminate any risk of salmonella.It's enough of a problem that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada have given the manufacturers of the popular products a year to come up a plan to reduce the presence of salmonella in them to below detectable levels.As stated on the packaging they come in, the products are raw. Robin Horel, President and CEO of the Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors Council, said they're coated in a fried batter that appears to give them a cooked appearance to some people.The package provides cooking instructions and to reduce the instances of salmonella sickness, which have continued despite efforts to educate consumers, the bags inside the box also have the cooking instructions on them, he said.“A lot of work has been done on this issue. We've been working with Health Canada and CFIA on this issue for more than a year.”One of the problems seems to be people think warming them up in a microwave is sufficient, he said.Aline Dimitri, Deputy Chief Food Safety Officer, said government and industry have made significant efforts to impress upon consumers the need to fully cook them. “Still, we've seen that consumers are not following the cooking instructions. It's clear that more needs to be done.”It could be the coatings confuse some shoppers, she said. Industry has made great efforts to prevent salmonella. “Now we have to go the extra mile to deal with the problem.”
Government and industry will work collectively “to identify and implement measures at the manufacturing/processing level to reduce salmonella to below a detectable amount in frozen raw breaded chicken products such as chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, chicken strips, popcorn chicken and chicken burgers that are packaged for retail sale.”Part of the effort will be how to make consumers aware of the need to thoroughly cook the products in an oven, she said.Processors have a year to find ways to produce a product that “reduces salmonella to below a detectable amount,” she said.Horel said testing of the products has detected salmonella in them at a percentage level in the low teens. “Each company will have to find its own way to reduce the risk of salmonella to consumers. It will likely be a combination of label and processing changes.”One option, which will mean higher consumer prices, is to provide the product pre-cooked, he said.In the last 10 years the incidence of salmonella illness in Canada has steadily increased. This increase has been driven by Salmonella enteritidis (SE), the most common strain of salmonella in the food supply that is often associated with poultry, CFIA said.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.