Last month, an outbreak of Salmonella that sickened at least 170 was tied to chicken liverin the U.S. In the UK, health officials are issuing advisories linked to chicken liver pate, although out of fear of campylobacter infection.
The Wealden District Health Council, Sussex, has “stepped up checks on local restaurants to ensure chicken livers are being properly cooked before being made into paté,” according to a report.
The Council’s action followed a broader warning from the Food Standards Agency reminding people to cook chicken livers thoroughly when making paté because of the risk of Campylobacter infection. Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK.
Proper cooking and misleading labeling appeared to be the problem as well. It appears that consumers believed the chicken livers to be fully cooked, but they were not.