Selected FAQs on poultry meat
Updated FAQ from 19 March 2015
Poultry meat consumption has increased significantly in Germany in recent decades. In 1952, per-capita consumption was roughly 1.2 kg. By 1978, it had gone up to over 10 kg, whereas in 2013, each person consumed about 19.4 kg of poultry meat.
Apart from the cheap price, the main reason behind this increase is that poultry meat caters to consumer demand for low-calorie and easy-to-digest food. Chicken most frequently appears on the menu, although turkey has also become much more popular. Duck, goose and other types of poultry are chosen much less often. In addition to slaughter poultry, poultry parts, offal and a large number of poultry meat products are available on the market.
At the same time, poultry meat and poultry meat products are perishable foods which, if not handled correctly, can be a source of food-borne infection. This means that special care must be taken when preparing such foods: the principles of kitchen and food hygiene should be strictly observed in order to avoid infection through pathogens such as campylobacter or salmonella.
Below, the BfR has compiled selected FAQs on poultry meat and correct handling of these sensitive foods.