USDA proposes new policy for salmonella in raw poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a comprehensive proposed rule and determination to more effectively reduce Salmonella contamination and illnesses associated with raw poultry products. FSIS is proposing final product standards that would define whether certain raw poultry products contaminated with certain Salmonella levels and serotypes are adulterated as defined in the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.). Specifically, FSIS has tentatively determined that raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted chicken, and comminuted turkey are adulterated if they contain any type of Salmonella at or above 10 colony forming units/per milliliter or gram (10 cfu/mL(g)) in analytical portion (i.e., mL of rinsate or gram of product) and contain any detectable level of at least one of the Salmonella serotypes of public health significance identified for that commodity.
The proposed Salmonella serotypes of public health significance identified for raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, and comminuted chicken are Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I 4,[5],12:i:-, and for raw comminuted turkey are Hadar, Typhimurium, and Muenchen. These are the most highly virulent Salmonella serotypes associated with these products identified in the FSIS chicken and turkey risk assessments. The Salmonella serotypes of public health significance will likely change over time as the serotypes commonly associated with human illnesses change.
