Why is raw chicken meat so dangerous?

Ever wonder why there is such strong wording around being extremely careful when handling raw chicken meat in the kitchen? No other meat carries warnings such as raw poultry about contamination, bacteria, washing, etc.  We hear these common safety rules, but ever wonder WHY the chicken meat from our stores carries such stronger danger warnings?

The reality is that raw poultry, ALL raw poultry purchased from grocery stores and butcher is laced with bacteria. Virtually every scrap of meat must be cooked properly to reduce the risk of food poisoning. Raw poultry is so dangerous that the juice dripping off the raw poultry, should it come in contact with other uncooked foods, will virtually guarantee a bout of food poisoning of some degree.

So why is poultry so dangerous? Beef, pork, lamb, even seafood do not carry such strong warnings. I ran across this article today that helps to explain the mystery. If you eat poultry, and buy it from a local store, take a moment to read this article:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/sustainable-farming/campylobacter-food-poisoning-zm0z10zrog.aspx

In short, it is NOT natural for poultry to be contaminated with bacteria so commonly. This is entirely a condition caused by America's food system, factory farming. It is these bad farming practices that are bringing the bacteria to our kitchens, not nature, no the chickens, it is man.

How sad is it that chickens raised on these factory farms, where 99% of the chicken in America comes from, are so mistreated that the nature given stress hormones allow bacteria to consume the chicken. Is this nature's way of stopping us from eating unhealthy chickens? Isn't this a signal to us that something is horribly wrong? It is truly impossible to "tweak" the factory farming system and thereby eliminate the food risk modern factory chicken brings to our kitchens and families. The system itself is wrought with so many bad processes that just reducing the numbers of chickens will have little if any effect. There still would be the mistreatment, rapid growth, overwhelming ammonia in the air, unsanitary conditions on the ground, constant antibiotics to reduce bacteria, and poor nutrition.  There would still be processing methods that virtually ensure fecal matter from inside the chickens is spilled int other cleansing water, contaminating the meat so badly that chlorine must be used to bring the bacteria count down to government acceptable standards ( the standards that say its ok for "one drop of juice to cause food poisoning) The only way to prevent stress hormone is to eliminate the sources of stress, all of them.

At Little Sprouts Farm, we are committed to providing poultry that is stress and bacteria free. Our birds are free to roam most of the time, and even when caged for particular reasons there is much more space per bird than the government recommends, and the coops have free air movement, sunshine, and are moved around the green grass as needed. They are provides organic feed, bugs, grass, and a host of treats. They roam the farm as chickens have for all of history until recently when factory farms became "the way". They are allowed to be what nature intended them to be, free chickens and turkeys.

The cost of decent food is a bit higher, that is undeniable. BUT, the choice is really between poultry that is laced with bacteria to the point that "a single drop of juice can cause food poisoning" and poultry that is bacteria free and full of healthy nutrition instead of antibiotics. The choice is between food fit to eat and food so dangerous it must carry warning label's. The cost of cheap food is in bad health, sickness, and resulting health care.

Little sprouts farm is committed to producing food so high above government standards that it is not dangerous to your health, but doing so at a reasonable financial cost. We think health of our families is more valuable than cheap "food".