Contamination

Faecal Contamination

A myriad of ways that shit gets into the food

40%

of UK slaughterhouses1 failed to remove all “visible contamination” - including stomach contents and "faecal smears".2

17%

rise in salmonella infections in the UK,3 from eating bacteria-contaminated faeces.

80%

of campylobacter food poisoning4 from eating the intestinal bacteria of poultry.5

What It Is

Factory farms are full of shit, metaphorically (take a look at their happy-animals ads) but also very literally. Thousands of animals are packed into sheds, and stand, sit, and sleep in their own waste. They arrive at the slaughterhouse caked in it. And as they enter, many defecate in fear, splattering even more poop around their legs and bellies. Once the deed is done, the machinery that cuts them up and scoops out their inners spreads that poop from carcass to carcass until it’s impossible to be sure that any bit of meat is actually shit-free.

In the US, they wash chicken meat with disinfectant to get rid of the poop and its pathogens, but here in the UK, we frown on chlorinated chicken and instead ask workers simply to look for it and then cut out any “visible contamination” when they find it. Can we trust that every low-paid, disillusioned, bored, cold, and tired worker throws themselves into this task with gusto? We hate to burst your bubble but in the latest audits, 40% of slaughterhouses failed to remove visible contamination6 even while the auditor was standing RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEM. We can only imagine what happens on a regular day. And what happens to the contamination that is not detectable by eyesight alone.7 Yep, we eat it.

What They Do

Sensitive Content

This video contains content that some people may find upsetting

Impact

Disgusting

Literally no one wants to eat shit-encrusted food.

Sickening

There are 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year in the UK, largely from contamination via animals’ poop.

Deadly

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli - which can kill people - is spread in the faeces of animals including pigs and cows.8

Investigation and Reports

Article

Dangerous strain of salmonella becoming more common in UK meat

A 2022 Guardian article on the contamination of UK meat with life-threatening bugs.
Article

Meat suppliers claim inspection regime is "outdated"

The meat industry states that it is impossible to detect faecal contamination by sight alone.
Article

Is your kitchen harbouring more germs than your loo?

BBC report finds there is 200 times more faecal bacteria on the average cutting board than on a toilet seat, largely through contamination with meat.

References

  1. 1. https://data.food.gov.uk/catalog/datasets/77b34073-f34e-4a6a-a16e-97aed1711014
  2. 2. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20251202205928/https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/chapter-28-animal-by-products
  3. 3. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cases-of-salmonella-and-campylobacter-highest-in-a-decade
  4. 4. https://www.bassetlaw.gov.uk/environmental-health/food-safety/food-poisoning-and-infectious-diseases/
  5. 5. https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/campylobacter#:~:text=in%20your%20browser.-,How%20Campylobacter%20is%20spread,temperature%20required%20and%20check%20that:
  6. 6. https://data.food.gov.uk/catalog/datasets/77b34073-f34e-4a6a-a16e-97aed1711014
  7. 7. https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/compliance/meat-suppliers-claim-inspection-regime-is-outdated
  8. 8. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vero-cytotoxin-producing-escherichia-coli-symptoms-how-to-avoid-how-to-treat/vero-cytotoxin-producing-escherichia-coli-symptoms-how-to-avoid-how-to-treat

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