The results of Consumer Reports' first laboratory analysis of a popular alternative to hamburger meat may turn more than a few stomachs across America.

The consumer advocacy group found potentially dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the majority of the 257 samples of ground turkey it recently tested. The samples were taken from 27 different brands and stores across 21 states. While 90 percent of the ground turkey samples contained one or more types of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing organisms, more than half also tested positive for fecal bacteria.

“Some bacteria that end up on ground turkey, including E. coli and staph aureus, can cause not only food poisoning but also urinary, bloodstream, and other infections,” Consumer Reports said in a prepared statement.”

This raises alarm about what is lining the shelves of U.S. grocery stores. It also suggests a direct relationship between the use of antibiotics in animal production and increased resistance in bacteria on ground turkey, Consumer Reports adds.

Like other livestock in the United States, turkeys are subjected to recurrent low doses of antibiotics in an effort to optimize animal health while promoting growth. Mounting scientific evidence in recent years has pointed to a correlation between this widespread use of drugs in animals that are not sick and accelerating antibiotic resistance.

Threats To Public Health

The National Turkey Federation seems to disagree. The non-profit organization calls Consumer Reports' findings—and the inferences thereof—both “misleading” and “sensationalized.” It asserts the sampling was “very small” and thus representative of an anomaly, not a pattern of compromised food safety.

“There is more than one way [harmful bacteria] can wind up on food animals,” says Lisa Picard, National Turkey Federation vice president. “Studies have shown that generic E.coli and MRSA can even be found on about 20 percent of computer keyboards.”

The issue of consumer safety as it relates to foodborne illness is neither new nor confined to raw ground turkey. In its own sampling completed in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found widespread contamination in ground beef, turkey, pork chops and chicken. The collected specimens contained antibiotic-resistant E coli, salmonella, and other harmful bacteria.

Because foodborne illness usually affects multiple people in multiple areas, it raises interesting liability questions for insurers. The forthcoming “Claims Queue” column in Claims' June issue will examine further developments as they pertain to Consumer Reports' findings, along with the liability implications for P&C insurers, so stay tuned!

The complete report and analysis is in the June 2013 print issue of Consumer Reports, as well as online.

Special Reports /

Consumer Reports: Contaminated Ground Turkey Found In 21 States

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