Items Tagged with 'Salmonella'

With warmer weather comes increased pest pressures, threatening flock health and food safety in pre-harvest poultry operations. Insects and rodents act as vectors for pathogens, making robust integrated pest management, complemented by effective chemical control, essential to reducing contamination risks.

As the agency continues to delay enforcement of Salmonella verification testing for not-ready-to-eat, breaded and stuffed chicken products, Consumer Reports is asking for evidence to support USDA-FSIS’ assertion that currently available test methods are not suitable, which contradicts the agency’s previous stance.

The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that the number of Campylobacter and Salmonella infections in England remained high or increased in 2025, while listeriosis cases stayed stable from the previous year. 

The agency has also reopened a previously closed Salmonella outbreak investigation linked to powdered moringa supplements, with 22 new reported illnesses in four additional states.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses several foodborne pathogens that have been recently highlighted by researchers due to their unusual nature, emergence, and increasing public health significance, including a rare Salmonella strain, an STEC/ETEC hybrid, Group B Streptococcus, and drug-resistant Shigella.

This article reviews why testing for Salmonella is important, the challenges encountered when testing for Salmonella (specifically when using FDA's Bacteriological Analytical Manual Chapter 5 guidelines), and how to evaluate if your testing laboratory is providing reliable testing results. 

The outbreak strain of Salmonella Bochum is extremely rare. Children and adolescents aged 2–15 years represent 75 percent of outbreak patients. Patient interviews and a case-control study point to a certain brand of chocolate-hazelnut spread as the vehicle of illness.

Per CDC and USDA-FSIS data, in 2023, Salmonella Infantis strain REPJFX01 accounted for 97 percent of S. Infantis isolates and 21 percent of all Salmonella recovered from chicken carcasses. This rising trend is closely aligned with an increase in human salmonellosis infections linked to REPJFX01.

Phage W5, isolated from poultry and livestock slaughterhouse effluent, significantly inhibited the growth of Salmonella in milk, pork, and eggs, and effectively prevented and eradicated biofilms on food-contact surfaces. The absence of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes supported its suitability as a food-grade biocontrol agent.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently published the findings from several food sampling and testing assignments for microbiological and chemical contaminants across a range of food categories. In general, the results were satisfactory.