Two recent food testing investigations in Germany have highlighted Campylobacter contamination in chicken.
In tests commissioned by German TV channel RTL, chicken products were bought from Kaufland stores in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Lower Saxony, and Berlin.
According to RTL, a cooler in the car ensured the cold chain was not interrupted while products from the retailers were taken to the laboratory.
Campylobacter was detected in 15 of 30 samples but no information was shared about the levels of bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant germs were also found in 11 of the 30 samples.
In response to RTL, Kaufland said: “During the period mentioned, several authorities took routine samples of chicken meat in our stores. To date, none of these samples have been objected to by authorities. We go beyond legal requirements and have the quality of chicken meat continuously and regularly tested by external laboratories. This complements the extensive controls carried out by manufacturers. In addition, Kaufland’s lawyer states that the food business operator, so the manufacturer named on the packaging, is responsible for hygiene and safety of the food.”
The price for cheap meat
Environmental Action Germany (DUH) called on the government to address price pressures in the food chain and focus on protecting human and animal health.
The organization said suppliers are attempting to mass-produce chicken meat at low prices through the use of antibiotics. But the more these drugs are used on animals, the more resistant pathogens emerge and spread via contaminated meat into consumers’ kitchens.
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, federal director of DUH, said retailers put price pressure on suppliers who turn to antibiotics as it is a cheaper approach than more animal-friendly farming methods.
“We pay for cheap meat with our health and extreme animal suffering. Those who call the shots in the industry share the blame: Just four discounters and supermarkets control more than 85 percent of the food market in Germany. The new federal government must stop the price pressure in the food chain and consistently prioritize health and animal welfare over the profit interests of supermarkets.”
In 2023, the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 48 Campylobacter outbreaks — six with high evidence and 42 with low evidence of a link between food and the illness. In 2022, more than 43,600 Campylobacter cases were recorded in the country.
Second testing findings
In the second example, 13 chicken products from discount stores, supermarkets, fresh counters, and butchers were tested for Campylobacter. The sample was commissioned by broadcaster NDR for the ARD Kompetenzcenter Verbraucher.
In a documentary called “Die Tricks mit unseren Lebensmitteln” (The Tricks with Our Food) shown earlier this month, NDR revealed that six samples were contaminated. Four contaminated samples came from conventional animal farms and two from organic farming.
Reinhild Benning, of DUH, said many poultry slaughterhouses have hygiene problems.
“The chickens need more space and room so they aren’t constantly in contact with their own droppings. The poultry industry urgently needs to improve this,” Benning said.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture told NDR that a process hygiene criterion for Campylobacter has been in place for slaughterhouses since 2018 and if the limits are exceeded, companies are required to take action to improve hygiene. However, there are no limits on contamination in chicken sold at retail. Beginning this year, the limit is set at 1,000 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) in 10 out of 50 broiler carcass samples.
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