Quarter of chicken bought in British supermarkets ‘filled with potentially fatal E. coli bacteria’
Researchers at Cambridge Uni said traces of E.coli were found in poultry taken from the top seven food store chains
A QUARTER of supermarket chicken bought in Britain is filled with a potentially fatal superbug, a study has revealed.
Boffins at Cambridge University said traces of killer antibiotic-resistant E.coli were found in poultry taken from the top seven food store chains in the country.
The evolved food poisoning bacteria, which is responsible for the deaths of over 5,500 people a year in England alone, was found in samples taken from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, the Co-op and Aldi.
According to the British Poultry Council antibiotics have been in regular use in the chicken farming industry since the 1940s and efforts are being made to “manage the risks” of creating antibiotic resistant strains of E.coli and other bugs.
The shock result has raised new fears about the safety of meat sold in the UK.
Researcher Dr Mark Holmes told the Daily Mail: “People do get food poisoning and every time someone falls ill, they might also be getting a bug that is antibiotic resistant.
“By the time they get on to the right antibiotic the bug could be out of control. It can even lead to death.”