Retailers in the United Kingdom are beginning to offer whole chickens sold as “roast in the bag” options, meaning that consumers don’t have to directly touch the raw meat and potentially expose themselves to pathogens commonly found on chicken such as Salmonella and Campylobacter, according to Farmers Weekly.
The bags are reportedly designed in a way that will allow for ventilation in the oven without leaking any juices beforehand. One processor, Moy Park, will begin selling two varieties of such bagged chicken in May. Other retailers offering up “roast in the bag” chickens are Aldi, Marks and Spencer, and Asda, who first pioneered the packaging in 2013. High rates of Campylobacter contamination on raw poultry in the U.K. have sparked a series of responses from various retailers attempting to reduce contamination rates. Last year, the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency found that 70 percent of store-bought raw chicken was contaminated with Campylobacter. At the same time, major retailer Marks and Spencer announced a five-point plan for reducing Campylobacter rates, calling it the “Campylobacter Challenge.”
