Pork and Prejudice: How the Industry's Science-Driven Approach Outshines Salmonella Standards in the Pursuit of Improving Public Health
Regardless of the proposed Salmonella performance standards, the pork industry has consistently taken proactive measures to address and mitigate Salmonella contamination risks for years
When one hears the phrase, "Salmonella outbreak," what is the first food that comes to mind? Poultry, eggs, cookie dough, peanut butter, sprouts, or perhaps something else entirely? Interestingly, "Salmonella outbreaks" have been associated with dozens of different food items, which has allowed Salmonella to maintain the infamous title of being the "most frequently reported bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. every year."1 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella causes approximately 1.2 million illnesses and 450 deaths each year in the U.S.2
Although eggs, poultry, and peanut butter are highly publicized for their role in salmonellosis, many foods can harbor the organism, including pork. Current estimates suggest that pork is "responsible for approximately 10 percent of domestic cases of salmonellosis among all foods, with lower- and upper-bound estimates of 7.7 and 13.1 percent, respectively."3