We tested chicken for bacteria. What did we find?

[Consumer Reports]   Friend, Chicken may be part of your July 4th barbecue menu, but take note: Consumer Reports found that nearly a third of the ground chicken we sampled from across the country tested positive for salmonella, a potentially deadly bacteria. While our results are disturbing, what might shock you more is that our government actually allows salmonella to be in up to 25 percent of the ground chicken tested by producers! With more than 250,000 people sickened every year by poultry contaminated with salmonella, it’s time the U.S Department of Agriculture expedite reform of these outdated, risky food safety standards. [We’re petitioning the USDA to make chicken as safe as possible to eat – join us by adding your name now!]( [Sign the petition](  Ground chicken contamination starts at the processing plant. Even if one chicken is contaminated with salmonella, it gets ground and distributed into countless pounds of more chicken, making it more widespread. While ground chicken is tested for salmonella by the USDA, if it exceeds the limit, processors are only given what amounts to a warning, not told to stop selling the meat. This is concerning, considering our tests also found that 91 percent of the salmonella detected in ground chicken came from three of the strains that pose the biggest threat to human health. Simply put, current rules put way too much burden on consumers to protect themselves from salmonella, rather than requiring poultry producers to do a better job reducing the most dangerous strains. [Join us in petitioning the USDA to take action to reduce salmonella infections from ground chicken.]( We have real power as consumers to get safer food if we speak out together! [Sign the petition](  After you act, [take a]( to share our findings]( with friends and family so they can be aware of the potential risks of ground poultry and meat. Thanks again for speaking out for safer food, and have a great July 4 weekend! Meg Bohne Consumer Reports [Unsubscribe from Consumer Reports action alerts.]( © 2022 Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY, 10703 [Contact Consumer Reports](