CR testifies at USDA public meeting on reducing Salmonella in poultry products
WASHINGTON DC – – In testimony at the USDA’s public meeting on Salmonella in poultry, Consumer Reports called on the agency to reverse its decision to delay implementation of its rule declaring Salmonella an adulterant in not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded stuffed chicken products and to adopt the same standard for other poultry products.
The USDA’s move to delay implementation of the rule comes on top of its decision last April to withdraw its proposed regulatory framework to reduce Salmonella illnesses from poultry. Salmonella causes roughly 1.35 million infections in the U.S. annually and nearly one-fifth of those infections are attributed to contaminated chicken and turkey.
“Salmonella infections from poultry have increased steadily over the past decade and sicken hundreds of thousands of Americans every year,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumer Reports. “The USDA’s recent decisions to pull back on these critical Salmonella prevention measures send a troubling signal about its efforts to combat these foodborne illness outbreaks. Consumers deserve robust safeguards against Salmonella and other threats to our food supply.”
Under the rule, breaded and stuffed raw chicken products would be considered adulterated if they tested positive for Salmonella at 1 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram prior to stuffing and breading. The adulterated designation would require companies to recall any product that tests positive above this low level of contamination, instead of waiting for people to get sick from foodborne illness outbreaks.
Media Contact: Michael McCauley, michael.mccauley@consumer.org