In a recently published report entitled “Food Safety From Farm to Fork,” the Pew Charitable Trusts calls for increased research, funding, and use of on-farm interventions to help prevent the occurrence of foodborne-pathogens on livestock and poultry meat.The report states that, although interventions are used during harvest and processing, the United States needs to incorporate pre-harvest interventions into a multi-step process of food safety. Food-borne pathogens of focus in the report include Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0157:H7, which are sources of human illness linked to consumption of many different food products.
The report examines the pre-harvest interventions utilized currently, and potential available for future use, both domestically and globally. Specific to poultry, the report reviews the interventions available to counter Salmonella and Campylobacter, as well as the significant challenges which exist to preventing poultry’s exposure to both.
Biosecurity, vaccination, and good management practices remain important components of reducing food-borne pathogen introduction to broiler and broiler breeder flocks. The report additionally discusses pathogen control programs which have been used by other countries for breeding and production broiler chicken flocks. The report concludes with a set of recommendations to funding agencies, the U.S. government, the livestock and poultry industries, and researchers emphasizing the need for increased research and funding for on-farm interventions.
For more information on broiler chicken meat and food safety, visit the Chicken Roost. A link to the Pew Charitable Trusts Report may be found here.
