Several shelters, including the Animal Welfare Observatory (OBA), have analyzed the trays of chicken that are sold in the largest supermarket in Europe by turnover and number of establishments, Lidl, and the result is that 70% of the Spanish samples are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Lidl denies the accusation and claims to have its own analysis and that of its suppliers that “categorically contradict the study.” But how has animal research been done? Is human health in danger? As several doubts arise, EL PERIÓDICO answers these and other questions about the OBA study:
How was the study carried out?
The research has been carried out by a laboratory German, accredited by the German organization DAkks and located in Cologne, which has analyzed the most important bacteria associated with foodborne infections in 142 Lidl own brand products, sold in 22 establishments located in Spain, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Poland.
What are the results in Spain?
The products analyzed are the following: ‘split tipless chicken wings’, ‘chicken hams’, ‘chicken hindquarters’, ‘chicken carcass’ and ‘chicken breast’ and were purchased in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona, according to the information transmitted by OBA. The result of their microbiological analysis reveals that 17 of the 24 Spanish samples, 71%, were contaminated with bacteria resistant to antibiotics, compared to a third of the products in Germany or 58% in the United Kingdom.
In addition, 38% of the samples analyzed showed listeria and 83% had diarrheal pathogens such as E.coli and Campylobacter.
Why has the chicken sold in Lidl been analyzed and not in other supermarkets?
Julia Elizalde, campaign manager of the Animal Welfare Observatory, explains that Lidl was chosen because it is the largest supermarket in Europe by turnover and number of establishments. Therefore, it is the distribution chain that “affects the largest number of consumers in the EU.”
Why can chickens have bacteria resistant to antibiotics?
Elizalde attributes the problem to the fact that some of Lidl’s suppliers raise “crowded chickens between excrement, which is a paradise for the spread of pathogens.” Furthermore, as the NGO has repeatedly denounced, the distribution chain “does not have a public policy on the density reduction [en las granjas]”. In fact, a couple of years ago the entity reported several establishments where chickens were mistreated, allegedly linked to the supermarket chain. And this spring a ‘terror farm’ was uncovered in Burgos, where pigs with malformations are raised and the animals are mistreated, also supposedly linked to a Lidl supplier. The supermarket chain denies this.
What health problems do antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause?
They can cause urinary tract infections, pneumonia or sepsis (severe reaction to an infection) and, since conventional antibiotics cannot mitigate them, antibiotic resistance It is a health problem of the first magnitude, causing around 35,000 deaths a year, in Europe alone. In addition, the study has detected pathogens in chickens that cause diarrhea or spontaneous abortions.
Is it dangerous for your health to consume meat that contains harmful bacteria?
Eating contaminated meat does not immediately cause illness, but “there is a risk that germs will be transmitted to humans if the meat not prepared properly“, explains Dr. Imke Lührs, specialist in internal medicine and former advisor in the Bundestag, according to the statements included in the statement released by OBA. “In the case of unfortunate circumstances, such as pre-existing diseases, administration of antibiotics for other reasons, a injury or an operation, the consumption of germs through meat can become a serious threat for health,” according to the specialist.
denies the accusation and claims to have certificates of analysis carried out by the supermarket chain itself and by its suppliers, which “categorically contradict the information in the study.” The supermarket chain considers that the animal investigation is an “action to discredit the image of the company with false information and/or not verified”, taking into account that “the articles supposedly analyzed are produced by suppliers that supply chicken meat to a large majority of Spanish distribution chains”.
Likewise, Lidl emphasizes that “the bacteria that chicken meat may contain are not a consequence of the breeding method” of their suppliers in particular, “but they represent a general challenge for the entire poultry meat industry.
What consequences will the investigation have?
The Animal Welfare Observatory assures that it has transferred these findings to the Ministries of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, requesting that the microbiological presence of germs resistant to antibiotics and other pathogens with potential impact on public health be investigated in the chicken meat sold in Lidl and that a public report on the matter. And OBA does not rule out expanding the analyzes on chicken meat to other supermarkets.
