Chik Chek Under Fire : Meat-Test Kit Unreliable, USDA Says

Chik Chek, a $5 kit for testing raw poultry and other meats for the presence of harmful bacteria, was labeled “neither accurate nor useful” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service Monday.

The agency recently conducted an extensive laboratory review of the product, manufactured by Diversified Diagnostic Industries of Moraga, Calif., and concluded that the test does “not perform reliably.”

The findings, in the form of an advisory, were issued to caution consumers who may depend on Chik Chek results during food preparation.

“If consumers base their handling practices on the results of this test, then they may be taking a real risk,” said Nancy Robinson of the USDA.

For example, the kit mistakenly indicated that bacteria was present in an otherwise sterile, or clean, solution. The test also failed to detect salmonella when samples had purposely been contaminated with the bacteria, according to the agency’s announcement.

Can’t Order Recall

Robinson said the USDA is not authorized to order a recall of the product or prevent its future sale. However, the review will be forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission, which is empowered to take such regulatory action, if warranted.

While still in the marketing development stage, more than 1,000 of the kits have been sold since July, according to Robert F. Hird, Diversified Diagnostic’s chairman.

The USDA’s warning, though, is devasting for the product, he said, adding that the judgment is based on faulty laboratory work.

“They completely disregarded our testing protocols and tested (for bacteria) in a way that (Chik Chek) would be doomed to fail,” said Hird, who is asking the agency to conduct an additional review based on his firm’s recommended procedures.

Hird also complained that the USDA was critical of his product because of the widespread nature of food contamination.

“USDA does not want consumers to double-check food products because they (the raw foods) are so massively contaminated with bacteria,” Hird said. “Because as soon as consumers know how much bacteria is in food then that’s going to cause possible congressional investigations of the food industries and the USDA itself. Someone is not doing their job.”

The product’s debut, and subsequent flap, come at a time when the public’s concerns about contamination in chicken are high. Recent reports have stated that salmonella’s presence in poultry is about 37%.

At-Home Test

The at-home test consists of three cotton swabs and two small containers of solution. Users are instructed to dab one of the swabs in raw chicken’s residual juice from either the carcass or packaging. Alternate applications of the two solutions eventually produce a pink-purple color if salmonella or other bacteria is present.

However, the USDA found that in some cases, when no bacteria was present, the swabs turned pink before any solution was applied.

In its announcement, the agency recommended that poultry be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees and that other meats be heated to 160 degrees.

“Hands and kitchen equipment which come in contact with raw meat and poultry should be washed in warm soapy water and rinsed,” the USDA stated.