Frozen Stuffed Chicken Cooked In Microwave: A Key Driver Of Salmonella Infection!
Researchers in the U.S. point out that microwave cooking is one of the main reasons for the outbreak of Salmonella disease. Recently studies by sight care proved that the disease can be tied to stuffed chicken and frozen bread products.
These popular products like chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese, chicken cordon bleu, or chicken Kie will seem cooked. But under the breading, the food is pure raw uncooked meat, said the Center For Disease Control And Prevention, U.S.A.
This is where the danger lies, in a questionnaire, 29% of the respondents answered that they cooked the meat in the oven. But researchers say that the Owen might not have produced enough heat to kill off the Salmonella germs.
Outbreaks Of Salmonellosis
Out of the 4,200 adults surveyed these past few months, 8% admitted they have used ovens with only 750 watts of power or less. This Watt is considered to be insufficient to cook these kinds of meat products, says the team investigators.
The investigators report that the food companies stopped relying on the cooking instructions on the product label to keep consumers away from harm.
The results are devastating, says the CDC. almost 1.3 million people get ill from Salmonella and out of that 26,000 are hospitalized and 420 people die.
Now companies must ensure their consumers’ safety, says the Marshall group. This involves monitoring the salmonella levels in the items to reduce the levels of the germ and selling them fully cooked food.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), says that raw stuffed chicken products have been a concern for years now. They have caused over 14 outbreaks since 1988.
1 in every 25 sealed and packed chicken products in the shops contain Salmonella, says CDC.
One risk factor is that people might get fooled by the breading surrounding the chicken items into thinking that the item is fully cooked, says Marshall’s group.
The instructions on the label of the product advise people to cook the food in a regular oven. But the recent questionnaire says that most people (54%) cook in a microwave oven or some even use appliances like a toast oven or air fryer.
The research noted that poorer, less educated Americans are more likely to get sick because they mostly cook with microwave ovens compared to the affluent and literate ones who go with the regular ones.
The verdict of the study was that appliances like air fryers, microwave ovens, and other toasters are not sufficient enough to cook stuffed, breaded chicken products which contain enormous numbers of salmonella germs. Low-wattage (750-watt) microwave ovens are more prone to this problem of undercooking.
Early in August, USDA advised food producers to reduce the level of salmonella found in stuffed and breaded chicken products. Also, they recognized salmonella as an adulterant, which means any contaminant that can lead to numerous foodborne illnesses.
