Salmonella infects one in five Brussels chickens

1 April 2004

BRUSSELS – One in five chickens sold in Belgium’s Brussels region are infected with the salmonella bacteria, which can provoke a particularly violent form of food poisoning, the Belgian press reported on Thursday.

Citing the findings of a major study by one of the region’s main public health laboratories, the laboratoire intercommunal de chimie et bacteriologie (LICB), the newspapers said up to 20 percent of the region’s chicken meat could be infected.

Salmonella can be spread when infected meat comes into contact with other foodstuffs, so kitchens in both private homes and in restaurants are particularly at risk from the bacteria, the LICB warned.

Aside from chicken it can also be found in products containing raw eggs or raw minced meat. The popular Belgian dish ‘Americain’, which consists of raw mince, is particularly vulnerable say health experts.

Subject: Belgian news