USDA Plans Public Meetings to Address Salmonella Concerns in Poultry
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is set to host two virtual meetings in December to discuss potential changes to Salmonella standards in raw poultry.
These public meetings, scheduled for December 3 and 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST, offer stakeholders an opportunity to engage with the proposed framework aimed at reducing Salmonella in chicken and turkey products.
Details on registration will be provided in an upcoming Federal Register notice.
New Standards and Extended Feedback
The FSIS is extending the public comment period for its Salmonella proposal until January 17, 2025. Originally introduced in August, the framework aims to enforce final product standards that prevent poultry products containing 10 colony-forming units (CFU) or higher of Salmonella per gram from entering the market.
This includes monitoring for specific Salmonella serotypes linked to health risks, and ensuring that high-risk strains are kept out of distribution channels.
Emilio Esteban, the USDA’s Undersecretary for Food Safety, explained the reasoning behind the proposal, emphasizing the need for more preventive measures in poultry production.
Esteban noted that while FSIS lacks jurisdiction over pre-harvest stages, it will offer guidance on practices like water quality, feed management, and vaccination, which can influence Salmonella levels by the time poultry reaches processing facilities.
“We know there are things you can do with the water, with the feed, with the way you raise the animals, the environment, and vaccination that will affect the quality of the product that is presented to the slaughter plant,” Esteban remarked.
Addressing a Public Health Concern
Salmonella remains a significant health risk in the United States, with the CDC estimating around 1.35 million cases of Salmonella infection annually.
Specifically, about 125,000 of these cases are linked to chicken and nearly 43,000 to turkey products.
The FSIS hopes that the new standards, coupled with industry compliance, will curb these infection rates and promote safer poultry products nationwide.
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