June 19. New data shows that about 36% of retail meat samples nationwide are contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria. And with the FDA and USDA facing major budget cuts, efforts to monitor pathogens, investigate outbreaks, and enforce safety standards could be weakened.

The new report from Trace One says chicken is the most contaminated meat in North Carolina.

The report ranks states by their relative retail meat contamination risk, using the latest data from the FDA’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). It also analyzes contamination trends by meat type, and highlights antibiotic resistance patterns.

North Carolina details

Chicken is Most Contaminated Meat in North Carolina: 27.8% of retail chicken samples tested positive for Salmonella or Campylobacter in North Carolina, as did 14.2% of ground turkey.

Beef and Pork Contamination Rates: Ground beef tested positive for Salmonella in 0.4% of samples, and 2.6% of pork chops.

Based on these contamination rates, North Carolina received a composite score of 54.78—the 7th highest retail meat contamination risk relative to all states in the analysis.

Background

The full report covers 22 states. Trace One is a global leader with over 30 years of experience specializing in regulatory compliance and product lifecycle management for the food and beverage industry.

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