Grocery store pork found to be hugely contaminated with bacteria

Pork bought from grocery stores and supermarkets in the US is hugely contaminated a new Consumer Reports study showed.

The study found that pork samples contained high-levels of bacteria that caused food poisoning and many which were resistant to antibiotics.

Researchers looked at 148 samples of pork chops and 50 samples of ground pork from a number of stores in six US cities, said the Los Angeles Times.

The bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica was found in 69 percent of the samples.

The bacteria affects more than 100,000 Americans per year with that number likely much higher given the number of unreported cases.

Salmonella and listeria were found in between three and four percent of samples.

They also found that ground pork was much more prone to deadly bacteria than pork chops, said ABC News.

The report said that a majority of the samples found bacteria that were resistant to antibiotics, likely due to the amount of antibiotics given to the animals while they are raised.

Meat that is properly cooked will kill most of the bacteria and buying antibiotic-free meat may also help to ensure that the resistant kind is not consumed.

The report also dispelled claims on pork packaging that says "hormone-free" as pork production does not allow for hormone use anyway.

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