Investigation finds issues with meat sourced from Poland

Three UK retailers are buying meat from chickens in Poland that were given a group of antibiotics used to treat human Salmonella infections.

An investigation by broadcaster ITV, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and newspaper The Guardian found Asda, Iceland, and Lidl get frozen chicken products from a Polish poultry supplier linked to a past Salmonella outbreak.

It revealed SuperDrob is sourcing chicken from farms that use fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which are also used to treat human Salmonella infections. The company confirmed to investigators that the drugs were used but denied overuse and said that this is also prohibited for its suppliers.

Samples of waste collected from a number of Polish poultry farms that have supplied SuperDrob were tested and E. coli resistant to fluoroquinolones was found.

SuperDrob was linked to a Salmonella outbreak in the UK and Europe in 2020. The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss called for action in a letter to her Polish counterpart in December 2020. In April 2021, officials from Poland and the UK met virtually to discuss the safety of poultry meat.

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