USDA unveils new proposal that aims to crack down on Salmonella contamination in meat products

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are continuing their efforts to control Salmonella contamination in poultry products and reduce foodborne illnesses among consumers.

Last week, the FSIS released a 249-page proposal that would make it illegal to sell “raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted chicken, and comminuted turkey products contaminated with certain Salmonella levels.”

The FSIS added that it’s looking to “revise the regulations that require that all poultry slaughter establishments develop, implement, and maintain written procedures to prevent contamination by enteric pathogens throughout the entire slaughter and dressing operation to clarify that these procedures must include a microbial monitoring program (MMP) that incorporates statistical process control (SPC) monitoring methods, to require sampling at rehang instead of pre-chill, and to require that all establishments conduct paired sampling at rehang and post-chill.”

The FSIS and USDA’s initiatives to combat widespread Salmonella contamination date back to 2022 when the FSIS released a proposed regulatory framework, which was created in collaboration with industry stakeholders, researchers and scientists. The framework itself consisted of three components: requiring incoming flocks be tested for Salmonella before entering a production establishment; enhancing establishment process control monitoring and FSIS verification; and implementing an enforceable final product standard.

The FSIS later proposed declaring Salmonella an adulterant in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products — many of which are frozen foods. Per the USDA’s definition, the descriptor “adulterated” applies “to any carcass, part thereof, meat or meat food product under one or more circumstances (for example: if it contains poisonous substances, pesticides, or chemicals; or if it has been prepared under insanitary conditions).”

On April 26, 2024, FSIS announced its final determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products. As reported by National Law Review, the final determination was nearly identical to the proposal, with the exception of “modifying the proposed sampling location to provide flexibility and lower costs for industry.” The FSIS utilized data from outbreak investigations and consumer behavior research studies to help develop its initial proposal. The agency determined that “the appropriate response to protect public health is to ensure that [raw] breaded stuffed chicken products contaminated with Salmonella at levels more likely to cause human illness are excluded from commerce.”

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Salmonella-borne illnesses cause approximately 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“FSIS estimates this proposal would result in benefits to society of $20.5 million per year, ranging from $4.4 million to $39.0 million,” the new proposal states. “The majority of the benefits are derived from prevented illnesses of $12.9 million per year, ranging from $0.3 to $28.7 million. FSIS also estimated avoided costs from a reduction in the risk of outbreak-related recalls for the industry.”

It added that “additional industry actions in response to this proposal may lead to additional benefits.”