Occurrence of pathogens in raw and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products collected from the retail marketplace in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

J Food Prot. 2006 Sep;69(9):2176-82. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-69.9.2176.

Abstract

A total of 800 meat and poultry products were purchased from the retail marketplace in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The products consisted of raw ground beef, chicken legs, pork chops, and ready-to-eat fermented sausage, roast beef, processed turkey breast, chicken wieners, and beef wieners. The samples were analyzed to determine the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli 022: H8 was found in one raw ground beef sample. Salmonella and Campylobacter were found in 30 and 62% of raw chicken legs, respectively. L. monocytogenes was found in 52% of raw ground beef, 34% of raw chicken legs, 24% of raw pork chops, 4% of fermented sausages, 3% of processed turkey breast, 5% of beef wieners, and 3% of chicken wieners. The occurrence of pathogens in this study is similar to that in retail products in many other international locales.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alberta
  • Animals
  • Campylobacter / isolation & purification
  • Cattle
  • Chickens
  • Commerce / standards
  • Consumer Product Safety*
  • Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Food Microbiology
  • Humans
  • Listeria monocytogenes / isolation & purification
  • Meat / microbiology*
  • Meat Products / microbiology*
  • Poultry Products / microbiology*
  • Salmonella / isolation & purification
  • Swine
  • Turkeys