Tests find 80% of chickens in Seattle-area groceries carry pathogens – Seattle Times

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture monitors the levels of some bacteria in poultry. Effective in July, the agency is tightening its rules. Processors will have to ensure that no more than 7.5 percent of raw chickens are contaminated with Salmonella and no more than 10.4 percent with campylobacter. The 100 chickens tested in Seattle came from multiple producers in Washington, California, and other states. But collectively, the birds would not have passed the new standards: 65 percent were contaminated with campylobacter and 19 percent with salmonella. More than 40 percent of the samples tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus, which is not regulated by USDA.” – Seattle Times