US salmonella outbreak widens

Fifty new cases of salmonella poisoning linked to chicken from Foster Farms have been reported in the US since April, according to health officials.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been an average of eight cases per week, bringing the total number of infections caused by strains of drug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg to 574 since the March 2013 outbreak, Fox News reports.

While there have been no reported deaths, 37 percent of those with the foodborne bacteria were hospitalised, the centre said.

A further 13 percent developed blood infections – three times the number in typical salmonella infections.

US-based Foster Farms said in a statement they had implemented measures to reduce salmonella at each stage of production, but factors such as warm weather had hampered the process.

"The company continues to make steady progress that has effectively reduced Salmonella at the parts level to less than 10 percent — well below the 2011/2012 US Department of Agriculture-measured industry benchmark of 25 percent," the company said.

Source: Fox News

Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Jack Hawke