Microbiological baseline study of poultry slaughtered in provincially inspected abattoirs in Alberta, Canada.

The article presents a study which examines the levels of microbial contaminants and foodborne bacterial pathogens to determine the effectiveness of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs in Alberta. Result of the study indicates that improvements need to be made in Alberta's provincially inspected slaughter houses or other sections of the poultry production chain to reduce the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria and lower the levels of bacteria on poultry carcasses.