FSIS Study on Salmonella in Breaded and Stuffed Chicken Products
A study was carried out by FSIS in collaboration with the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Cooperative Agreement Laboratories. The objective was to collect data on non-raw, breaded, pre-browned stuffed chicken products ("NRTE stuffed chicken") purchased from retail establishments. The main focus of FSIS was to determine the rate of Salmonella contamination in these products and identify any variations in testing strategies. In this study, 11 state laboratories, located in different geographical regions, participated through the FERN program.
From July 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2022, the labs purchased locally available NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products at retail stores and tested them for the presence of Salmonella and indicator organisms. In total, 58 of the 487 samples tested were positive for the presence of Salmonella. There was a significant difference in positive rates depending on the size of the sample tested; larger samples identified more positives.
Whole genome sequencing of Salmonella detected Salmonella Enteritidis (18/58), Salmonella Infantis (22/58), Salmonella Kentucky (15/58) and Salmonella Typhimurium (3/58).
