Is Chicken Dirtier Than Pork? The Surprising Answer

Many of us eat chicken and pork on a regular basis without thinking much about how clean or dirty these meats are. But if you’ve ever prepared raw chicken or pork, you may have noticed some differences. Chicken often feels slimy and smells less than fresh, while pork tends to look and smell cleaner. This has led some people to believe that chicken is dirtier than pork. But is this perception accurate?

As it turns out neither chickens nor pigs are inherently dirty animals. Both evolved to stay clean in their natural environments. The real sanitation issues arise when they are raised for meat on industrial farms designed around efficiency rather than the animals’ wellbeing. On these crowded confined farms, chickens are often dirtier than pigs due to a few key factors

Feathers vs. Skin

Chickens have feathers, while pigs have skin and sparse hair. Feathers easily trap dirt, bacteria, mold, and moisture against a chicken’s body. When chickens are crowded into barns by the thousands, living in their own filth, their feathers quickly become caked with feces and germs. Pigs’ exposed skin and light fur don’t hold onto nearly as much muck. Their skin can be cleaned more easily between batches of pigs on a farm.

Outdoor Access

Most pigs in industrial farming are kept confined indoors with no exposure to the elements. But many chickens raised for meat production have at least some outdoor access or are housed in open-air barns. When chickens have outdoor access, they are exposed to additional sources of dirt such as mud feces from wild animals pesticides, and contaminated water sources. Their feathers readily pick up all of this outdoor debris.

Processing Differences

During processing, chicken carcasses are typically washed in chlorine baths to reduce bacteria loads from their dirty feathers. Pork carcasses are not washed in these same chemical baths because pigs come to slaughter cleaner than chickens. The chlorine baths help clean chickens up to a sanitation level closer to raw pork.

Without this chemical wash, chicken would be even dirtier with higher bacteria levels. Even with chlorine washing, chicken carcasses still have higher rates of bacteria like salmonella than pork. The chlorine baths don’t fully eliminate the extra dirt, feces, and bacteria trapped by their feathers.

Risk of Foodborne Illness

Many consumers perceive chicken as especially risky and pork as a cleaner, safer meat. But foodborne illness data doesn’t entirely support this view.

Pork has historically been considered a high-risk meat and was once responsible for many trichinosis infections from parasites. Improved farming practices have greatly reduced this risk in recent decades.

Modern pork sold in developed countries is quite clean compared to developing countries where pigs often run semi-wild. In the U.S., most trichinosis cases now come from wild game meat, not pork. Other bacteria like Yersinia enterocolitica are more common causes of illness from raw or undercooked pork.

Chicken has its own food safety issues, especially with campylobacter and salmonella. These bacteria can contaminate chicken meat during processing even after the chlorine wash. Undercooking chicken or allowing its juices to cross-contaminate surfaces and other foods is the main source of salmonella poisoning.

Both meats need proper handling and cooking to avoid illness, but chicken objectively poses a higher risk given its greater likelihood to be contaminated during rearing and processing. This doesn’t necessarily mean pork is “cleaner” than chicken overall though, as both meats provide nutrients and can be prepared safely.

Best Practices for Safe Handling

To avoid foodborne illnesses from both pork and chicken:

• Cook meats to recommended safe internal temperatures (145°F for whole cuts of pork, 165°F for chicken)

• Prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen by washing hands, utensils, and surfaces after touching raw meats

• Separate raw meats from other foods during storage and preparation

• Refrigerate perishable meats properly

With basic food safety steps like these, we can enjoy chicken, pork, and other meats more safely. The risks from improper handling and undercooking outweigh any risks from one meat being “dirtier” than the other.

When purchasing pork and chicken, look for labels indicating the meats were raised without routine antibiotics on more sanitary small farms rather than crowded industrial facilities if you want the cleanest options. Pasture-raised and organic labels are a good sign as well. Though more expensive and less convenient, seeking out meats from animals raised humanely in sanitary conditions can provide added peace of mind that your food is as clean as possible.

In the end, is chicken dirtier than pork? On most commercial farms designed for efficiency and high output, chickens are indeed dirtier than pigs at slaughter. But with proper handling, storage, and cooking, both meats can be perfectly safe additions to a healthy diet. It’s up to smart consumers to choose quality meat sources and use good food safety practices in their kitchens.