USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released an updated draft compliance guideline on December 11 for controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter in raw poultry. The guidance document is intended to help poultry establishments comply with HACCP regulatory requirements; develop and implement pre- and post-harvest interventions for the control of Salmonella and Campylobacter; and monitor HACCP performance with microbial testing. As in previous editions, the document covers general recommendations for process control, slaughter and processing management, and further processing considerations.
Updates in the draft guidelines include:
- Recommendations for sanitation and lotting practices;
- Pre-harvest practices and sourcing;
- Guidance on intervention use during slaughter and further processing; and
- Using sampling results to inform decision making.
“Many of the suggestions made throughout the document the broiler chicken industry has been doing for years, from SPS monitoring of process control to using vaccination strategies in live production,” noted Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., NCC Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. “Upon initial review of the suggestions, however, some of the items seem misplaced and focused on areas outside of the Agency’s jurisdiction . Regardless, NCC will review these new guidelines in their entirety and provide meaningful input to the Agency regarding all aspects of the document.”
FSIS cites a number of recent food-borne illness outbreaks attributable to poultry since 2010 in influencing the updates to the new edition of the guidelines. The agency is accepting comments on the guidance document for 60 days, with the comment period ending on February 16, 2016. Comments may be filed through the Federal eRulemaking Portal, available here.
