USDA Unveils Plan to Tackle Salmonella in Poultry Products

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), salmonella bacteria cause over 1 million infections in the United States every year. Poultry is a primary source of these infections, with around 125,000 cases linked to chicken and almost 43,000 to turkey annually. Despite improvements in reducing Salmonella in poultry, the number of related illnesses hasn’t dropped significantly.

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.”

There would be strict rules about how much Salmonella can be in raw poultry products. These rules would apply to chicken carcasses, chicken parts, ground chicken, and ground turkey. Any of these products would not be able to be sold if they had more than 10 colony-forming units (CFU) per gram or detectable levels of certain harmful Salmonella types. For chicken, the types of Salmonella that would be banned are Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I,4,[5],12:I:-. For turkey, the types that would be banned are Hadar, Typhimurium, and Muenchen.

Poultry producers must also set up programs to monitor and prevent Salmonella contamination throughout slaughter. This includes testing and measures to stop the spread of Salmonella among flocks before they are processed.

USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban emphasized the science behind the proposal. “These new rules are based on careful scientific evaluation and input from various stakeholders. We encourage everyone to share their thoughts and data as we finalize these rules,” he said.

Since 2021, FSIS has been gathering data and consulting experts to develop this proposal. This included working with the National Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food, conducting risk assessments, holding public meetings, and running a sampling program to gather data on young chicken carcasses.

This proposed rule is part of broader efforts by the USDA to protect consumers. Earlier this year, FSIS declared Salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products if they exceeded 1 CFU per gram of contamination. They also announced a rule for the “Product of USA” label, which can now only be used for products from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S.

Following its publication in the Federal Register, the proposal is open to public comments for 60 days.

The proposal has received mixed reactions. The National Chicken Council, representing the U.S. broiler chicken industry, raised concerns about the potential impact on prices and questioned whether the new rules would significantly improve public health. Ashley Peterson, a senior vice president for the council, said they remain committed to reducing Salmonella and look forward to reviewing the full proposal.

Experts like Martin Bucknavage, a food scientist at Penn State, noted that tracking specific bacteria levels in poultry is challenging due to the industry's fast pace. While lowering Salmonella levels is expected to reduce illness risk, he pointed out that it will take time to see the full impact of the new requirements.

The USDA’s approach to tackling Salmonella is similar to its successful actions against E. coli in 1994, which significantly reduced related foodborne illnesses. Dr. Esteban highlighted the USDA’s readiness to implement these changes: “We have the tools. We have the technology. We have the knowledge.”

This new policy represents a significant step toward making poultry products safer and reducing Salmonella-related illnesses in the U.S.