We at SenseOnline have a policy of avoiding sensationalism and scaremongering, but if you’re not careful with chicken and eggs you could as well be playing Russian roulette. And it is especially important that you have the facts considering that poultry products have boomed as a healthier alternative to red meat.

Salmonella Outbreak

A recent outbreak of salmonella illness in the US saw the recall of over half-a-billion eggs. This was after more than 1500 people were diagnosed with this bacterial infection, which can be lethal. These were reported cases and it is suspected that nearly 50 000 could have been affected.  

Thirty-year-old Sarah Lewis of California testified that a custard tart landed her in intensive care. Weeks after discharge she still had diarrhoea and fevers. ‘Your whole body from head to toe is in agony,’ she recalls. ‘Knowing how sick I was scares the heck out of me now.’

Wright County Egg

The contamination was traced to Wright County Egg, the second biggest producer in the US, and an associate company, Hillandale Farms; both of which are agri-industrial businesses. Wright County Egg is a serial salmonella offender and has been placing people at risk since the 1980s.

An investigation of one of their egg-laying complexes revealed dead and live mice; a heap of dead chickens in one henhouse; millions of flies, dead and alive; and a two metre high pile of manure pushing against another henhouse. The owner, however, laid the blame at the door of their feed supplier. It appears their hens are mainly fed a diet made up of carcasses of slaughtered animals that are then boiled and crushed.

While I mention the US case, one only has to drive past many of our chicken and egg farms to realise that conditions here are not far removed from there.

What is Salmonella

Salmonella is a food borne bacteria and the enteritidis variety is most commonly transmitted to humans through eggs. It infects the ovaries of the hen and penetrates the porous shell of the egg during formation.

Hundreds-of-thousands of people worldwide contract salmonella enteritidis each year and hundreds die from it. Those living with HIV/Aids or with weakened immune systems are especially at risk. And because of cramped conditions on factory farms; eggs from these are always going to be the most likely culprits.

According to the World Health Organisation, more than 40% of all food poising cases can be traced back to contaminated eggs. South Africa has developed a process of pasteurising battery eggs that involves low intensity microwave and hot air, but this is only used by some of the larger suppliers and does not eliminate the risk.

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

While salmonella is a serious health concern, the most worrying risk comes from chickens raised for slaughter in agri-industrial complexes. These are fed antibiotics to prevent snickering, a cough-like respiratory bacterial infection that can spread like wildfire in the cramped conditions these birds are housed in. This is not to mention all the other cruelties they face, like being debeaked and fed growth hormones so they can reach slaughter weight in 40 days (by which time their underdeveloped legs can no longer support them).

The antibiotics are very similar to those given humans, but doesn’t quite eliminate another bacteria, campylobacter, that lives in the intestine. ‘The surviving germs, which don't cause any poultry diseases, quickly multiply and spread the genes that helped them fend off the antibiotic,’ reported Time magazine. ‘When the chickens are carved up at the slaughterhouse, resistant bacteria spill out everywhere. Even with the best sanitary controls, some campylobacter is shrink-wrapped along with the thighs, breasts and drumsticks that are delivered to your kitchen counter.

‘That's where the real trouble begins. Campylobacter is a major cause of food poisoning in humans. Less than diligent hand washing or improperly cooked meat could park you on the toilet for the next few days. And if you're sick enough to need medical treatment, you might be out of luck. Chicken antibiotic is so closely related to human antibiotic that any germ that has become resistant to the animal drug can shrug off the human one just as easily… Welcome to the harrowing world of antibiotic resistance, where drugs that once conquered everything from pneumonia to tuberculosis are rapidly losing their punch.’

Know Your Chicken & Eggs

To minimise the risk to you or your family you need to arm yourself with the facts. While you can never completely eliminate the threat of contracting a salmonella infection, you can reduce your exposure and completely prevent unknowingly building antibiotic resistance through the food you eat by being aware of poultry products.

In order of threat are:

o    Battery chickens and eggs for the reasons stated above.

o    Grain fed chicken and eggs. These are battery hens without the meat-based feed.

o    Free range chicken and eggs. There is a misconception that free range hens are allowed to walk about the yard. These are mostly also penned, sometimes in cramped conditions, but in moveable houses on natural ground.

o    Organic chicken and eggs. These are truly free ranging and spend 2/3rds of their time outdoors.

The Benefits of Organic Chicken & Eggs

Other than the obvious avoidance of serious illness, organic (and to a lesser extent free range) chicken and eggs have the following health benefits:

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• More vitamin D
• ¼ less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene.

Think of this, the extra you pay for organic and free range can be saved on supplements.