Potentially deadly drug-resistant "superbugs" were found in almost half of supermarket meat samples analysed by scientists. Multidrug-resistant E. coli was present in 40 per cent of chicken, turkey, beef and pork on sale in shops in Spain.
E. coli strains capable of causing severe infections in people were also "highly" prevalent. Scientists say that antibiotic resistance is reaching "dangerously high" levels around the world.
Drug-resistant infections kill an estimated 700,000 people a year globally, with the figure projected to rise to 10 million by 2050 if no action is taken. The World Health Organisation (WHO) classes antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest public health threats facing humanity.
