Reassurance on chicken meat

The Health Department on Tuesday advised consumers there was no need to panic about reports of contaminated chicken meat being sold by a Korat slaughterhouse.

Department chief Somyos Deerasamee advised consumers to just be careful when buying chicken meat.
The skin of a fresh chicken meat must not show bruising when it  is pressed and the fowl must not have a foul smell, he said.

On Sunday, livestock officials raided four illegal poultry slaughterhouses in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district and seized nine tonnes of dead chicken. Operators of the slaughterhouses allegedly said they bought the dead chickens from many farms in the province and sold the meat to food processors.

Photo by Jetjaras Na Ranong

Reports that formaldehyde and sulphur dioxide were detected in the dead chicken meat panicked some consumers.

Dr Somyos said chicken meat contaminated with formaldehyde or sulphur dioxide, even if cooked, was not safe to eat as those toxic substances remained in the meat. A high level of those substances in a human body would pose a risk of cancer, he said.

Health authorities have not yet established what killed the chickens found at those illegal slaughterhouses, he said. The Health Department is now stepping up surveillance for bird flu.

He told people to buy fresh chicken meat at markets which meet hygiene standards. There are about 3,000 markets across the country which meet standards set by the department.

Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit yesterday said the Food and Drug Administration and health officials were collecting chicken meat at certain places for testing.

Buying dead chickens for butchering and selling to the public is banned by law. The dead animals must be disposed of or handled by the Livestock Development Department.

"Health authorities are conducting inspections on chicken meat at food stores. They are targeting venues where unfit meat may have ended up," he said.