'Broiler chicken is safe'

Eating broiler chicken poses no damage to the public health and it is safe to consume announced Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque on Thursday.

The existence of antibiotics in broiler chicken is lower than the tolerable level, he also said.

In light of study carried out by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) with funds from the Ministry of Agriculture, the minister made the announcement during a press briefing at the Secretariat.

The study team was led by Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, chief scientific officer (livestock division) of BARC.

The study, which was conducted between January and June 2022, reveals that broiler chicken meat, bones, and composites included very small level of two antibiotics (oxytetracycline and doxycycline) and three heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, and lead).

According to the research, the amount of such antibiotics and heavy metals identified in the meat is not unusual and is really far lower than the maximum tolerable levels in meat.

In order to detect the presence of 10 antibiotics and three heavy metals in broiler chicken and its feed, the BARC tested 315 samples from 1,200 broiler chickens across the country.

Speaking at the briefing, the minister said broiler meat available in supermarkets has lower levels of antibiotics and heavy metals than those in farms and kitchen markets.

The minister claimed during the briefing that the broiler meat available in supermarkets contains less antibiotics and lower level of heavy metals than that found in farms and kitchen markets.

Campaigns in multiple media outlets as well as social media platforms show that broiler meat contains antibiotics, heavy metals and other harmful substances that are harmful to human health. Such misinformation has led to a misconception regarding broiler meat, which has resulted in fewer broiler meat consumption, Razzaque added.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim also attended the event.