Sick After Eating In A Restaurant? Did You Have Chicken?

The non-profit Consumer Reports organization recently conducted nationwide research, purchasing more than 300 raw chicken breasts across the United States and found “potentially harmful bacteria lurking in almost all of the chicken, including organic brands.”  The chicken industry is apparently self-regulated, and it seems, with current processing methods, there is little chance that the raw chicken that you purchase will not contain a contamination.  Proper kitchen handling and cooking procedures, however, can kill most of the bacteria.  If you get sick in a restaurant, however, ask yourself,

1)    Did the restaurant cross-contaminate other foods with the cutting board that they used for the contaminated chicken?

2)    Did the workers wash their hands every time they handled a raw piece of chicken?

3)    Was the chicken left out of refrigeration prior to cooking, thereby increasing the growth of organisms?

4)    Did the restaurant use a meat thermometer to make certain that the chicken reached 165 degrees, and therefore, the temperature necessary to kill bacteria?

Unfortunately, with the revelation that practically all of  the raw chick that is purchased by consumers or restaurants contains potentially harmful bacteria, safe product handling at the cooking level is critical, since busy restaurants probably do not have time to handle all of these safe cooking practices, more foodborne illnesses will probably occur.  Moreover, since animals are regularly fed antibiotics, their bacteria is getting harder and harder for human antibiotics to kill.

Articles contained here are not intended to provide legal advice, only providing general information. We encourage individuals to consult with an attorney regarding individual circumstances.