An estimated 70 per cent chickens sold in UK supermarkets are contaminated with a potentially lethal food-poisoning bug, the watchdog today said and warned that retailers must do more to "raise their game".
Following six months of testing, an average of 70 per cent of supermarket chickens proved positive for campylobacter, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
During the six-month period, 18 per cent of the nearly 2,000 chickens tested showed highest levels of campylobacter, the levels seen as most likely to make people ill.
An estimated 280,000 people in the UK suffer from the nasty bug each year, with it proving fatal in 100 cases - making it the deadliest form of food poisoning.
Steve Wearne, the FSA's director of policy, said: "Levels of campylobacter have been far too high for a long time and they need to come down."
"The industry needs to take steps to raise their game, to make strides towards reducing the burden of illness that campylobacter cause -- 280,000 cases each year in the UK."
Supermarket Asda had the highest levels of contamination, with 78 per cent of tested birds infected -- 28 per cent with the highest levels.
Co-op came second, followed by Morrison's, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.
Marks & Spencer had the second worst percentage of chickens testing positive for the highest levels.
Tesco had the lowest rates of infection, with 64 per cent of tested birds being positive, 11 per cent at the highest levels.
The supermarkets were named and shamed for the first time today under a move by the FSA to improve public health.
The food watchdog in February launched a year-long survey of retail chickens to establish the scale of the problem.
The bug was also found on six per cent of packaging.
There is no safe minimum level of campylobacter.
