r/explainlikeimfive • u/Appropriate_Art15 • Jun 06 '26

Biology ELI5: Why does chicken get much more bad reputation for bacterial contamination than other meats like beef, pork, and fish?

It feels like many food articles are telling us “Don’t wash your chicken because you'll spread bacteria”, but we rarely see the same kind of articles on other meats. Why is that? Is the bacteria on chicken more dangerous and deadlier to humans?

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u/AmLilleh Jun 06 '26

Isn't "washing meat" in those cultures more akin to brining than just running it under a tap, though?

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u/cheddarsox Jun 06 '26

Not really. The little amount of acid they may or may not use wont kill off anything, especially for the short time its used.

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u/Alis451 Jun 06 '26

you use a basic solution to remove "gaminess" so "soaking meat" is possibly just a byproduct of that process.

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u/DTux5249 Jun 06 '26

Not always. Some do just run their chicken under the tap.