Lidl chicken full of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, say campaigners

A campaign group has found over half the Lidl chicken products it tested were positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Open Cages found that 23 of the 40 raw chicken products it tested from Europe’s biggest supermarket chain tested positive for “superbugs” like methicillin-resistant MRSA. Nineteen of the chicken products also had E-coli, which can cause diarrhoea. There is not a direct consumer concern about consuming the meat and Lidl said the levels of bacteria were not above legal levels in the UK, where the samples were purchased. But experts in microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) said the presence in the retailer’s poultry products “represents a serious public health concern”. It’s estimated deaths from drug-resistant infections kill nearly 1.3 million people every year globally, which without action will rise to 10 million by 2050. Antibiotic use in farming to increase growth and maintain livestock is one of the factors increasing antimicrobial resistance in human populations.