Poultry groups are raising concern after USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a proposed rule to reduce Salmonella contamination and illnesses associated with raw poultry products. FSIS said the rule is the result of a three-year effort to reevaluate its strategy for controlling Salmonella rates in poultry.

FSIS data indicates that Salmonella contamination in poultry products has been decreasing, but an observed reduction in illnesses has not occurred.

“Far too many consumers become sick from poultry contaminated with Salmonella, and today’s announcement marks a historic step forward to combat this threat,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This proposed framework is a systematic approach to addressing Salmonella contamination at poultry slaughter and processing, which includes enforceable standards that will result in safer food for consumers and fewer illnesses.”

The proposal would establish final product standards to prevent raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey products that contain any type of Salmonella at or above 10 colony forming units (CFU) per gram/ml and any detectable level of at least one of the Salmonella serotypes of public health significance from entering commerce. The proposed Salmonella serotypes of public health significance identified for raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, and comminuted chicken are Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I,4,[5],12:I:- ; and for raw comminuted turkey are Hadar, Typhimurium, and Muenchen. The proposal would also require poultry establishments to develop a microbial monitoring program to prevent pathogen contamination throughout the slaughter system.

USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban said the proposed framework “is grounded in data and rigorous scientific evaluation,” but poultry groups are suggesting otherwise.

Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the National Chicken Council, commented: "We support changes in food safety regulations that are based on sound science, robust data, and are demonstrated to positively impact public health. We are concerned this proposal is not based on any of those.”

Additionally, Peterson said the framework has the potential to significantly raise the price of chicken “at a time when Americans are dealing with inflation in every part of their lives.”

“We remain committed to further reducing Salmonella and look forward to reviewing the full proposal and providing comment on this significant, potential shift in regulatory policy," she said.  

The National Turkey Federation said it has actively contributed industry data to FSIS and maintained an ongoing dialogue with the agency as it relates to reducing Salmonella in turkey production. The organization said that it believes FSIS already possesses the authority and regulatory tools necessary to drive improvements in food safety without implementing a final product standard for Salmonella in turkey products. However, it said it will diligently review and provide meaningful comment on the proposal.

“NTF believes any standard should be science-based and should not impose unnecessary costs and product destruction for members of the U.S. turkey industry,” the organization said. “As we delve deeper into the Salmonella framework, NTF is committed to continuing our engagement with FSIS to develop comprehensive strategies that will advance this crucial priority while reflecting the concerns of NTF members expressed throughout this policy progression.”

Dr. Esteban said all interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments and relevant data on the proposals. Comments must be received within 60 days after publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register.