USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Thursday withdrew the proposed Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products, which was introduced during the Biden administration.
Among other things, the Framework included a proposed determination that raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted chicken, and comminuted turkey products contaminated with certain Salmonella levels and serotypes are adulterated as defined in the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
FSIS noted, “The issues that generated the most comments, both positive and negative, included those associated with FSIS’ legal authority to propose the final product standards, the proposed Salmonella levels and serotypes for the final product standards, the proposed use of SPC monitoring, the scientific and technical information used to support the proposed framework, the potential economic impacts of the proposed framework, and the potential impact of the proposed framework on small poultry growers and processors.”
NCC welcomed the announcement and expressed our continued commitment to food safety and working with FSIS on a science-based and data driven policy to further reduce Salmonella.
“We remain committed to further reducing Salmonella and fully support food safety regulations and policies that are based on sound science, robust data, and are demonstrated to meaningfully impact public health,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., NCC senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs.
Peterson said as it was written, though, this Framework:
Ashley Peterson, Ph.D.
- Was legally unsound;
- Relied on misinterpretations of the science;
- Would have had no meaningful impact on public health;
- Would have led to an extraordinary amount of food waste; and
- Would have increased costs for producers and consumers.
“We appreciate today’s announcement by FSIS and share their goal of protecting public health,” Peterson continued. “We look forward to working with the Agency on an approach to build on the industry’s tremendous progress in reducing Salmonella on chicken products through policy that is based on sound science, is implementable, and will have a meaningful and measured impact on public health.”
NCC’s comments submitted earlier this year, which included an alternative approach for addressing Salmonella, can be found by clicking here.
To support Salmonella reduction efforts, the chicken industry has invested tens of millions of dollars or more in pathogen control measures for raw chicken products, including numerous preharvest intervention strategies to reduce Salmonella loads before chickens are processed. These strategies include robust programs in hatcheries, feed mills, and breeder and broiler houses, such as strict biosecurity protocols, equipment sanitation, feed and litter treatment, water sanitation programs, use of pre- and probiotics, pest control, cleanout programs, and vaccinations.
These efforts have been paying off. Salmonella prevalence rates at chicken processing plants are at all-time lows and the industry continues to exceed the government’s Salmonella performance standards. Taking into account a 48 percent increase in chicken consumption over the past 28 years, salmonellosis cases have decreased significantly on a per-pound basis of chicken consumption. Put simply, each pound of raw chicken is markedly safer today than 25 or 30 years ago.
