There is national interest in protecting public health by reducing foodborne illness from Salmonella in poultry. While industry continues to reduce Salmonella prevalence, the cases of human illness attributable to poultry remained unchanged. There is a need to better understand Salmonella levels and the serotypes most likely to cause human disease. Based on this need, mitigation strategies relying on quantitative and serovar data will be instrumental for improving food safety.
Data is central to reducing Salmonella cases linked to raw poultry. For poultry producers to optimize Salmonella control strategies in their supply chains and for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to make effective, risk-based policies, data is needed. Individual companies, along with their trade associations, generate a large amount of important data relevant to Salmonella control strategies. These include improved live bird management, better harvesting and processing controls, and other areas where data can be shared to support science-based, risk-driven decision-making.