Originally proposed in April 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has finalized its determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in raw, breaded and stuffed chicken products at levels exceeding 1 colony forming unit per gram (CFU/g). The final determination is part of FSIS’ ongoing efforts to reduce the cases of salmonellosis in humans attributable to chicken products in the U.S.
FSIS will carry out verification procedures, such as sampling and testing of incoming raw chicken prior to its stuffing and breading, to ensure establishments that produce products covered by the final rule are sufficiently controlling Salmonella. If the chicken component in covered products does not meet the new standard, the product lot represented by the sampled component would not be permitted to be used to produce the final raw, breaded and stuffed chicken products.