Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be more prevalent in retail pork products than previously thought, according to a study published in the Public Library of Science’s PLoS ONE in January.
More than six percent of 395 pork samples, taken from 36 grocery stores in Iowa, Minnesota, and New Jersey, were contaminated with MRSA, which is significantly higher than previous studies. More than 64 percent of samples tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus, or staph bacteria. The results also did not show a significant difference in MRSA contamination between conventional meats and alternative, or antibiotic-free meats.
FoodWorld 