USDA salmonella safety proposal backed by food safety activists

In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released a proposed determination to declare salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products when they exceed a very low level of salmonella contamination. This is the first step that builds on FSIS’s commitment to reduce salmonella risks in the poultry industry with a regulatory framework released in October 2022. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that salmonella bacteria cause approximately 1.35 million human infections and 26,500 hospitalisations in the United States every year, with over 23% of these infections attributed to poultry consumption. Data from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) show the total cost for foodborne salmonella infections in the US is a staggering $4.1 billion annually and the cost for the loss of productivity to the economy is $88 million.

Under the USDA proposal, FSIS would consider any breaded stuffed raw chicken products that include a chicken component that tested positive for salmonella at 1 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram prior to stuffing and breading to be adulterated. It is also proposing to carry out verification procedures, including sampling and testing the chicken component of breaded stuffed raw chicken products prior to breading and stuffing.

Breaded stuffed raw chicken products are pre-browned and may appear cooked, and they are stuffed with ingredients such as raw vegetables, butter, cheese or meats such as ham. They are typically cooked from a frozen state, increasing the risk of the product not reaching the internal temperature needed to destroy salmonella. Additionally, because the products contain multiple ingredients that cook at different rates, it may be difficult to determine whether the chicken has reached the safe internal temperature.

In proposing to declare salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products, FSIS based its decision on several factors, as outlined in the initial research published in October 2021. Since 1998, FSIS and its public health partners have investigated 14 salmonella outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses associated with these products. The most recent outbreak was in 2021 and resulted in illnesses across 11 states.

With FSIS seeking public comment on the proposed determination and proposed verification sampling program, various food safety advocates, such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), have backed the proposals.

In comments filed with USDA in support of its proposal, CSPI, food safety lawyer Bill Marler and other consumer advocates wrote that they support USDA’s proposed threshold, which they further say should prevent a substantial proportion of illnesses related to these products.

CSPI’s food safety campaign manager, Dr James Kincheloe, said that rates of foodborne salmonella infections have remained steady for 25 years, despite efforts to reduce them.

“USDA’s proposed salmonella product standard reduces the burden on home cooks to control this dangerous pathogen,” Kincheloe said. “That said, the higher risk profile for breaded and stuffed chicken products means consumers should still fully read and follow cooking instructions and use a meat thermometer to ensure an internal temperature of 165 degrees.”

Besides CSPI and Marler, signatories to the comment filed with USDA include representatives of the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention at The Ohio State University, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports and Stop Foodborne Illness.

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