97% Of Raw Chicken Found Contaminated

Consumer Reports magazine just released its comprehensive study of meat and poultry, revealing that 97 percent of the chicken breasts contained harmful bacteria like salmonella.

For the study, the magazine tested 316 raw chicken breasts in 26 different states. "We did find 97 percent of one of the six bacteria that we looked for that can all be potentially harmful," Urvashi Rangan, the magazine's director of consumer safety and sustainability, told the CBS This Morning co-hosts. "But, even more concerning, about half of those were resistant to three or more antibiotic classes, making them multiple drug resistant ... People should be really careful when they’re out there buying their chicken."

"All the way through from when you buy it in the store to you serve it on your plate, you want to exercise really good hygiene."

Rangan emphasizes that the natural label does not prevent chicken from being harmful – only vigilance in the kitchen does. "You want to use really careful practices in the kitchen," she said. "You don’t want to put your chicken in the sink and pour the faucet on it. You want to use a dedicated cutting board and put that right in the dishwasher. All the way through from when you buy it in the store to you serve it on your plate, you want to exercise really good hygiene."

Consumer Reports also found that only 37 per cent of people own a meat thermometer, which is a crucial tool for making sure chicken is cooked enough.