Billboard: feces taints Buffalo chicken

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A billboard sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine will be raising some eyebrows Sunday as fans travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium.  The billboard is making claims that more than half of Buffalo chicken products are contaminated with feces.

The billboard will read, "It’s a Crapshoot: Feces Taints 50% of Buffalo Chicken." According to the PCRM, the billboard will be seen on McKinley Parkway, at Southwestern Boulevard.

The National Chicken Council quickly responded to their claims, saying they are misleading. The council says the PCRM is trying to scare consumers in hopes of advancing their goal of a meat-free society.

The PCRM says they tested chicken wings, breasts, thighs and legs from 10 retail stores in Buffalo. They say 63 out of 100 packages tested positive for fecal contamination. 

 

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Fecal contamination of chicken products, according to the PCRM:

Dash’s Market - Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, 70 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

Dash’s Market - Colvin Boulevard, Tonawanda, 50 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

PriceRite- Walden Avenue, Cheektowaga, 90 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

PriceRite- Kenmore Avenue, Buffalo, 70 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

Save-A-Lot- Broadway Street, Buffalo, 60 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

Save-A-Lot- Genesee Street, Buffalo, 40 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

Target- Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, 80 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

Target- Walden Avenue, Cheektowaga, 70 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

TOPS- Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, 70 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

TOPS- Seneca Street, Buffalo, 30 percent chicken products with fecal contamination

 

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The National Chicken Council released the following statement Tuesday, calling the committee a pseudo-medical, vegan advocacy group. They say their claims are misleading.

Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., National Chicken Council vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs released this statement, saying in part:

"These findings are another misleading attempt by a pseudo-medical, vegan advocacy group to scare consumers in hopes of advancing their goal of a meat-free society.

The presence of generic E. coli is not a guaranteed indicator for fecal contamination, as suggested. Most E. coli strains are completely harmless and these findings do not differentiate between those strains and the ones that can cause foodborne illness, like O157:H7. It is impossible to pinpoint the source of the E.coli as it is everywhere in nature, on animals and in humans. All E. coli strains, however, are killed through proper cooking.

All chicken produced in the United States is closely monitored and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Rigorous food safety standards are applied to all chicken products and these products must meet or exceed these safety standards set forth by FSIS in order to reach consumers.

...I hope that Buffalonians and Bills fans take this billboard with a grain of salt… and a side of hot sauce, bleu cheese and celery."