PROCESSING ▶▶▶
USDA aims to reduce Salmonella infections linked to poultry
The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is “mobilising a stronger and more comprehensive effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products”.
“W BY NATALIE BERKHOUT
e’re taking action to help prevent Sal- monella contamination throughout the poultry supply chain and produc- tion system to protect public health,”
said US agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack. This action, says the USDA, will assist in moving closer to the national target of a 25% reduction in Salmonella illnesses. Despite the con- sistent reduction in the prevalence of Salmonella in poultry products in recent years, poultry is linked to about 23% of the 1.35 million Salmonella infections in the US each year, result- ing in around 26,500 hospitalisations and 420 deaths, reports the Associated Press (AP). USDA intends to seek stakeholder feedback on specific Salmonella control and measurement
strategies, including pilot projects in poultry slaughter and processing establishments.
Reducing Salmonella entering processing A key component of this approach, it says, is reducing Salmo- nella contamination coming into the slaughterhouse. The AP noted one of the proposed pilot projects would add tests for the quantity of bacteria present and tests for the specific strains of Salmonella that cause the most illnesses. It further says that the USDA aims to encourage farmers to use more vaccinations, add probiotics to feed and do more to ensure that the birds’ bedding, food and water remain clean in order to help reduce bacteria in their chickens.
Current system is ‘broken’ Members of the Coalition for Poultry Safety Reform welcome these efforts. “The rates of illness in the US due to Salmonella and Campylobacter have remained persistently high for the last 20 years, despite efforts by federal regulators aimed at re- ducing bacterial contamination in poultry products,” it noted in a statement. The coalition added that it would advocate for a full upgrade of the current regulatory system, saying that “the current system for regulating poultry safety is broken”. It also believes that the USDA must invite innovation and tech- nological developments, that food safety should extend from raw material to finished product packaging, that Campylo- bacter also needs to be included and that there needs to be investment in research.
A key component of reducing Salmonella-induced illness is reducing Salmonella contamination coming into the slaughterhouse in the first place.
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Consumer education essential The National Chicken Council (NCC) noted that even with very low levels of pathogens, illness can still occur if a raw product is improperly handled or cooked. “Increased consumer education about the proper handling and cooking of raw meat must be part of any framework, moving forward,” stated the NCC, adding that all bacteria potentially found on raw chicken, regardless of strain, will be fully destroyed by proper handling and cooking. NCC senior VP of scientific and regulatory affairs, Ashley Peter- son, said that while it supports modernisation, ongoing re- search, innovation and technology development, poultry com- panies invest tens of millions of dollars each year to enhance the safety of chicken products. Continuous inspection and test- ing have demonstrated the long-term success of these inter- ventions in providing a safe, wholesome and affordable protein for consumers, said Peterson.
PHOTO: KOOS GROENEWOLD
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