Washing raw poultry is a bad idea.
Federal health officials say it spreads bacteria like salmonella and campylobacter to other foods and utensils, and is responsible for causing thousands of food-related illnesses every year, according to ABC news.
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Raw chicken meat is particularly prone to contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including salmonella and campylobacter. A recent outbreak of antibiotic-resistant infection from chicken reached 29 U.S. states.
Poultry products have even tested positive for drugs that are banned or restricted in U.S. meat, including chloramphenicol, ketamine, phenylbutazone and nitroimidazole.
Between 2009 and 2015, there were 5,760 reported foodborne outbreaks resulting in 100,939 illnesses, 5,699 hospitalizations and 145 deaths. Chicken was responsible for the most outbreak-associated illnesses.
About 10 million people worldwide will die from antibiotic-resistant diseases by 2050, lest swift action is taken to curb resistance — and that necessitates the elimination of unnecessary agricultural use of antibiotics.
In 2013, Consumer Reports found potentially harmful bacteria on 97% of the chicken breasts tested, and half of them had at least one type of bacterium that was resistant to three or more antibiotics.
Salmonella contamination is of particular concern and multidrug-resistant salmonella has become particularly prevalent. Raw chicken is a notorious carrier of salmonella, campylobacter, clostridium perfringens and listeria bacteria. Contaminated chicken and turkey also cause the most deaths from food poisoning.
Factory farming hasn’t helped the situation. Ninety-nine percent of all chicken sold in the U.S. are raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where they are routinely given antibiotics for disease control and increased growth.
Broiler chickens raised in CAFOs are sent to the slaughterhouse by 9 weeks of age. The animals are bred with a genetic mutation to make them insatiable eaters, reaching nearly five times the mass of their ancestors in a very short period of time.
As many as 20,000 to 30,000 broiler chickens are routinely crowded together in a windowless building. Selective breeding has made the broiler so docile that even when given access to the outdoors, they prefer hanging out at a mechanized trough for the next delivery of feed. This rapid weight gain makes the animal subject to numerous bone ailments and, in combination with a diet heavy in grains, the bones have a distinct chemical signature.
Your best bet is to select range-free, organic chickens and eggs. True free-range, organic chickens and eggs come from hens that roam freely outdoors on a pasture, where they can forage for their natural diet, which includes seeds, green plants, insects and worms. Your best source for pastured chicken, beef and other animal products is a local farmer who allows his animals to forage freely outdoors.