US regulatory framework to reduce salmonella from poultry products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released a proposed regulatory framework for a new strategy to control salmonella contamination in poultry products and reduce foodborne illnesses attributed to these products.

The agency is now seeking input from stakeholders on the proposed framework, which consists of three key components:

• Requiring that incoming flocks be tested for salmonella before entering an establishment.
• Enhancing establishment process control monitoring and FSIS verification.
• Implementing an enforceable final product standard.

The framework under consideration also addresses cross-cutting issues of testing for salmonella, the impact on small and very small establishments and data sharing.

Dr Craig Hedberg, a professor at University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Co-Director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, agrees that this framework “is an important step towards moving away from hazard-based regulation towards risk-based regulation. Focusing on levels of salmonella and highly virulent strains of salmonella rather than just the presence or absence of salmonella should reduce the number of illnesses associated with poultry.”

Dr Angie Siemens, Vice President for Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory at Cargill, said, “In alignment with our strong commitment to food safety, Cargill supports the need to develop a public health risked based approach to assist in meeting the Healthy People 2030 salmonella targets. We look forward to reviewing the FSIS salmonella framework and engaging in a robust dialogue on this issue.”

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