Scare over bacteria poisoning in chickens prompts Britain to check processing plants

Britain's food safety watchdog will investigate two chicken processing factories there after reports of contamination in the poultry industry.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced it would carry out the safety audit after The Guardian newspaper showed how strict industry hygiene standards could be disregarded, potentially encouraging the spread of the bacterium campylobacter, which contaminates two-thirds of fresh chicken and can cause food poisoning.

The revelations come amid an escalating food safety scare in Hong Kong and on the mainland, where a major chicken supplier was found to be using rotten meat.

On Thursday the FSA initially said it was "content" with the way the official vet at the chicken processing plants and the company had dealt with incidents.

However, health secretary Jeremy Hunt demanded a thorough probe, prompting the FSA to announce it would send auditors in almost immediately and they would review CCTV footage of activity on the factory floor.

"We don't think there was a risk to public health from the evidence we've seen, but we want to do a full safety audit," the FSA said.