Meat/Poultry

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Testing has shown no sign of Escherichia coli contamination in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder beef patties, and traceback and epidemiological data have ruled out beef as the cause of the ongoing E. coli outbreak. Quarter Pounders have returned to the menu at affected McDonald’s locations—without slivered onions.

A recent study of genomic data for Campylobacter from 2009–2019 found a steep increase in human infections attributable to poultry, as well as a concerning rise in the proportion of multidrug-resistant isolates. Campylobacter isolates associated with poultry were found to harbor the most antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Domestic sales of medically important antibiotics for use in food-producing chicken, turkey, cattle, and swine fell by 2 percent in 2023, according to the latest report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has extended its comment period for its proposed regulatory framework for Salmonella in raw poultry products for a second time, now giving stakeholders until January 2025 to submit feedback.

The International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit, hosted by the University of Arkansas (U of A) Center of Excellence for Poultry Science in Fayetteville, Arkansas on September 30-October 3, focused on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and other animal pathogens and viruses affecting food safety and public health.

This article explores the potential of meat byproducts to meet the increasing global demand for protein, as well as their nutritional value, the processes needed to ensure their safety and shelf life, and sustainable, economic methods of protein extraction.

Boar’s Head has appointed Frank Yiannas, former FDA Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response, as its interim Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer (CFSO) and Chair of its Food Safety Advisory Council. Both the CFSO role and advisory council are new additions to Boar’s Head’s structure, established in response to the fatal listeriosis outbreak of 2024.

Published in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, one of the largest-ever whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses of Campylobacter in Africa found antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 75 percent of human and poultry isolates from Tanzania and Kenya.

Members of Congress have written a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking the agency to answer questions about its inspection actions leading up to the fatal Boar’s Head listeriosis outbreak, and about its authorities and processes for preventing such events.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. José Emilio Esteban and Sandra Eskin, USDA-FSIS’s Under Secretary for Food Safety and Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, respectively, about the agency’s proposed Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products.