USDA Proposes New Regulations to Reduce Salmonella in Poultry

Gray spotted rooster and chicken in the farm garden on the grass looking for food.

(Adobe Stock 484491057 by Volodymyr)

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has proposed new regulations to reduce Salmonella contamination in raw poultry. The rule, developed after a 3-year review, sets enforceable standards for specific Salmonella serotypes in chicken and turkey to prevent contaminated products from entering the market.

Under the proposed rule, poultry products that exceed contamination thresholds for specific Salmonella serotypes, including Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I,4,[5],12:I:- for chicken, and Hadar, Typhimurium, and Muenchen for turkey, will be classified as adulterated under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). This measure aims to enhance food safety and ensure that contaminated products do not reach consumers.

Contagion's exclusive interview with José Emilio Esteban, MD, PhD, the USDA's under-secretary for Food Safety, discusses the agency's strategy for implementing the new Salmonella standards.

“The effectiveness can be monitored in many ways through our data collection systems. As for practicality, we've been engaging in very open collaboration with industry and consumer groups to arrive at this proposed document,” he continues, “We don’t want to increase the price; we want to maintain quality. We want to make sure that it’s safe. I truly believe there is a way to balance the improvements with a greater impact on consumer health.”

FSIS proposes additional regulatory updates requiring all poultry slaughter establishments to implement a microbial monitoring program (MMP) with statistical process control (SPC) methods. The revised regulations would mandate paired sampling at rehang and post-chill, which is designed to enhance pathogen control throughout the slaughter process.

Esteban, who worked for over 20 years at the USDA and 8 years at the CDC, is confident in the methodologies used to monitor and verify compliance.

“We’ve been monitoring that for years, so we have a very good baseline as to what the product looks like, specifically targeting Salmonella, but also targeting microbial indicators,” he said. “The mechanisms are in place, so once this program goes into action, we’ll be able to measure prospectively what impact we’re making with every single sample we collect.” Knowing this is important, it reveals how the USDA plans to monitor compliance effectively, use data-driven methods for pathogen tracking, and implement the new standards progressively to ensure both impact and practicality across different plant sizes.

The USDA's approach to selecting Salmonella serotypes of public health significance involved extensive monitoring and data comparison with the CDC. Serotypes causing illness and those identified in poultry were prioritized based on virulence.

Esteban explains, “We identified the serotypes that we are proposing as the top three to address. If we can control those three serotypes in chicken and turkey, we will be addressing about 25% of all the illnesses attributed to chicken. This was based on gene analysis from public data, risk assessments, and input from the CDC. We intend to revise that list every 3 to 5 years because, just like with people and food, pathogens also change over time.”

These serotypes were prioritized through monitoring various Salmonella serotypes for an extended period. All the data is uploaded to a publicly accessible genome database, NCBI. By comparing the 20 serotypes of concern listed by the CDC with the 20 serotypes identified by the USDA, they can target the serotypes that overlap between those causing illness and those found in poultry. After this comparison, they determined that while the overlap includes 8 or 9 serotypes, it is not feasible to address all of them simultaneously. Consequently, they decided to prioritize the most virulent serotypes for immediate attention.

This proposed rule builds on FSIS’ recent initiatives to enhance consumer protection under the Biden-Harris Administration. To develop this framework, FSIS has conducted extensive data gathering, risk assessments, and stakeholder consultations.

Esteban finalizes, “It’s not a big change; it’s a change in the way we approach things, going from a big hammer to a little hammer, trying to reduce all Salmonella,” he continues. “By changing how we’re measuring and implementing controls, there won’t be a huge impact on industry, and there will still be a benefit for society.”

The USDA proposes a phased implementation of the new standards to ensure a transition. Large plants will meet the latest standards in the first year, followed by medium-sized producers in the second year, and very small producers in the third year. This approach allows for monitoring and adjustment. The USDA will focus on Salmonella serotypes to improve food safety and evaluate the rule’s effectiveness over time.

References

1. Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products. Published August 7, 2024. USDA. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/federal-register-rulemaking/federal-register-rules/salmonella-framework-raw-poultry-products

2. USDA. USDA Proposes New Policy to Reduce Salmonella in Raw Poultry Products. USDA. Published July 29, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/07/29/usda-proposes-new-policy-reduce-salmonella-raw-poultry-products