USDA Proposes New Policy to Reduce Salmonella in Raw Poultry Products
29 Julio 2024 - 12:25PM
FSIS Office of Congressional and Public
Affairs
Maria MachucaFSISpress@usda.gov
USDA Proposes New Policy to Reduce Salmonella
in Raw Poultry Products
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2024 – The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
today issued a comprehensive proposed rule and determination to
more effectively reduce Salmonella contamination and illnesses
associated with raw poultry products. This is the culmination of
FSIS’ three-year effort to reevaluate their strategy for
controlling Salmonella rates in poultry and protect American
consumers from foodborne illness linked to consumption of poultry
products.
Salmonella bacteria cause over 1 million human infections in the
United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). Food is the leading source of
Salmonella infections and poultry is among the leading sources of
foodborne Salmonella illnesses. FSIS estimates that there are
125,000 chicken-associated and almost 43,000 turkey-associated
foodborne Salmonella illnesses per year. Despite FSIS data
indicating that Salmonella contamination in poultry products has
been decreasing, there has not been an observed reduction in
Salmonella illnesses.
“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.
“The proposed Salmonella framework is grounded in data and
rigorous scientific evaluation, and it reflects feedback from
extensive stakeholder engagement,” said USDA Under Secretary for
Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “We encourage all interested
stakeholders to submit comments and relevant data on the proposal
as we work to finalize data-driven, science-based regulatory
policies to address Salmonella in poultry.”
Since 2021, FSIS initiated several activities designed to gather
data and information to inform the framework proposed rule and
determination. These activities included; charging the National
Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Food to provide guidance
on the types of microbiological criteria the agency might use to
better prevent Salmonella infections associated with poultry
products; conducting a risk profile for pathogenic Salmonella
subtypes in poultry and developing two quantitative risk
assessments; hosting a public meeting and several roundtables;
conducting an exploratory sampling program for young chicken
carcasses to generate microbial data and adding quantification to
FSIS’ Salmonella testing program.
The Salmonella framework proposed rule and determination builds
on FSIS’ continued efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration to
protect American consumers, including preventing false and
misleading label claims. As part of this effort, earlier this year,
FSIS published a final determination to declare Salmonella an
adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products when they exceed
the threshold of 1 CFU per gram of Salmonella contamination. FSIS
also announced this year a final rule allowing the voluntary
“Product of USA” claim to be applied only to those FSIS-regulated
products that are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered
and processed in the United States.
Comments on this proposal must be received within 60 days after
publication in the Federal Register.
Comments may be submitted online via the federal eRulemaking
portal, available at www.regulations.gov; by mail sent to Docket
Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection
Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Washington,
D.C. 20250-3700, or by hand or courier delivery to 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350-E,
Washington, D.C. 20250-3700. All items submitted by mail or
electronic mail must include the agency name and docket number
FSIS-2023-0028.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many
positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is
transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more
resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for
all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious
food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income
for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry
practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean
energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity
across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a
workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit
www.usda.gov.
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press@fsis.usda.gov