USA – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has introduced a comprehensive proposal to significantly reduce Salmonella contamination in raw poultry products.
This announcement follows a three-year evaluation aimed at enhancing consumer protection from foodborne illnesses linked to poultry.
Salmonella infections affect over 1 million people in the U.S. annually, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with food being the primary source.
Poultry remains a leading contributor to these infections, with FSIS estimating 125,000 chicken-related and nearly 43,000 turkey-related Salmonella cases each year.
Despite a reported decline in Salmonella contamination in poultry, illness rates have not correspondingly decreased.
The proposed framework introduces enforceable standards aimed at reducing contamination during slaughter and processing, ultimately leading to safer food and fewer illnesses.
The proposal includes stringent standards to prevent raw poultry products—such as chicken carcasses, chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey—from entering the market if they contain Salmonella levels at or above 10 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram/ml or any detectable levels of specific Salmonella serotypes.
For chicken, the targeted serotypes are Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I,4,[5],12:I:-, while for turkey, they are Hadar, Typhimurium, and Muenchen.
Additionally, poultry establishments would need to implement a microbial monitoring program to curb pathogen contamination throughout the slaughter process.
USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety, Emilio Esteban, emphasized the data-driven nature of the framework, stating, “This proposal is based on extensive scientific evaluation and stakeholder feedback. We urge all stakeholders to provide comments and data to help us finalize these science-based regulatory policies.“
Since 2021, FSIS has engaged in several initiatives to gather data and refine this proposal.
These activities included seeking guidance from the National Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food, conducting risk assessments for Salmonella subtypes in poultry, hosting public meetings and roundtables, and generating microbial data through sampling programs.
This proposed rule builds on FSIS’s ongoing efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration to safeguard American consumers.
Earlier this year, FSIS declared Salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products exceeding 1 CFU per gram and implemented a voluntary “Product of USA” claim for products from animals entirely raised and processed in the U.S.
