Pre-notification: Research into Salmonella illnesses associated with frozen part-cooked chicken products

Since 2020, there have been recalls and withdrawals of frozen partially cooked (ready-to-cook) breaded chicken products due to contamination with Salmonella. We also saw an increase in salmonellosis cases linked to consumption of these products throughout 2020. These recalls/withdrawals have highlighted an area we wish to focus on within our current microbiological surveillance. We run a wide range of surveys examining meats such as chicken, beef and pork, and are expanding their surveillance to include meat preparations and composite foods consisting of multiple ingredients, such as chicken nuggets or goujons. Alongside this we will be collecting data to allow us to better understand consumer behaviour when purchasing, storing, handling and cooking these products.