I Don't Feel Like Chicken Tonight

There is a sure-fire unpleasant article in the January 2007 issue of Consumer Reports on a rapid recent rise in bacterially-infected chickens. According to the magazine, which just conducted the largest ever study of the subject, 83 percent of chickens tested nationwide contained campylobacter or salmonella bacteria. That's up from 49 percent in 2003.

The upshot: People are paranoid about chicken already [trust me on that one], and this won't be good news for Pilgrim's Pride (PPC) or Tyson Foods (TSN). It is remarkable to me how quickly and completely the "food-can-kill-you" idea has taken hold, so welcome to the next stage.

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PPC/TSN 1-yr comparison chart