Salmonella

Many years of challenging and laborious research have reduced the occurrence af salmonella in danish poultry to a very low level. Fewer and fewer people ever experience the infection.

The most broadly discussed bacteria in food during past decades has been confined to the history books now. Our great-great-great-grandparents lived with Salmonella, without knowing anything about bacteria at all, and perhaps without even noticing this one.

The bacteria was named for its finder, the American veterinarian and pathologist D. E. Salmon (1850-1914). Since his time, the genus has been subdivided into more than 2400 different serotypes, most of which occur in food. Infection may also occur through direct contact with animals or an infected person spreading the bacteria.

All Salmonella bacteria can, however, be completely eliminated with the correct heat treatment. The same precautions apply in our modern kitchens, as in the kitchens of our great-great-great-grandparents. Good kitchen hygiene and thoroughly cooking, roasting, or frying chicken meat or any chicken product will remove all risk.

The incubation time of a Salmonella infection is one half to two days, and the symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and stomach ache, lasting from one to four days.