At a public meeting on January 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) discussed strategies for reducing salmonellosis attributable for poultry—after throwing out its previously proposed regulatory framework for Salmonella in poultry in April.

Despite the effectiveness of FSIS’ current Salmonella verification sampling program in reducing the proportion of poultry products contaminated with the pathogen, it has not translated into a reduction in foodborne illness. The goal of the strategies discussed at the January 14 meeting—and the now-withdrawn regulatory framework—is (was) to address this gap.

FSIS’ Old Plans to Regulate Salmonella in Poultry

Developed after years of research and stakeholder consultations, the framework would have determined Salmonella to be an adulterant in a raw chicken product (specifically, raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted chicken, and comminuted turkey) if it contained levels of the pathogen exceeding 10 CFU per milliliter (mL) or gram (g), or if a serotype of concern (S. Enteritidis, S. Typhimurium, S. I 4,[5],12:i:-, S. Hadar, S. Typhimurium, or S. Muenchen) was detected at any level. 

FSIS withdrew the proposed framework shortly after the second Trump Administration came into office, saying additional consideration was needed in light of public comments received on the framework.

In December, FSIS also indefinitely delayed sampling and verification activities for Salmonella in not-ready-to-eat (NRTE), breaded and stuffed chicken products “due to limitations in available test methods.” This determination was finalized in April 2024 and declares Salmonella an adulterant in NRTE, breaded and stuffed chicken products at levels exceeding 1 colony forming unit per gram (CFU/g), as these products are disproportionately represented in poultry-associated salmonellosis outbreaks. 

Food Scientist Pokes Holes in FSIS’ Withdrawal of Regulatory Framework

In his testimony at the January 14 meeting, Michael Hansen, Ph.D., Senior Food Scientist with Consumer Reports, urged FSIS to immediately reverse its decision to delay verification activities related to Salmonella in NRTE, breaded and stuffed chicken products. He argued that FSIS’ claim that  “the current available test methods have accuracy limitations and have resulted in false positives, especially at low levels of contamination,” is untrue—in its final determination, FSIS itself noted that a verified test does exist. Specifically, FSIS’ current quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method— the bioMérieux GENE-UP QUANT Salmonella Test Kit—is validated for 1 CFU/g in NRTE, breaded and stuffed chicken products.

Additionally, Dr. Hansen argued that the 1 CFU/g limit for adulteration is legally applicable not only to NRTE, breaded and stuffed chicken products, but also to other products covered under the broader, now-withdrawn regulatory framework (i.e., chicken parts, comminuted poultry). He said that Salmonella at levels of 1 CFU/g or higher in these poultry products qualify as an “added substance” because it is introduced by cross-contamination through processing; sampling data show that presence of the pathogen rises as poultry is further processed (detected in 4.14 percent of chicken carcasses, 7.62 percent of chicken parts, and 24.2 percent of comminuted chicken samples in 2022).

Finally, Dr. Hansen asserted that 1 CFU/g or higher level of Salmonella in NRTE, breaded and stuffed chicken products, chicken carcasses, chicken parts, and comminuted poultry meets the more stringent “ordinarily injurious to health” standard of the Poultry Products Inspection Act, as the pathogen can cause illness even at very low doses.

“Salmonella infections from poultry have increased steadily over the past decade and sicken hundreds of thousands of Americans every year,” said Dr. Michael Hansen. “USDA’s recent decisions to pull back on critical Salmonella prevention measures send a troubling signal about its efforts to combat these foodborne illness outbreaks.”