Consumer Reports criticizes withdrawal given recent developments that undermine USDA’s ability to protect the public from foodborne illness
WASHINGTON DC – The USDA’s decision to withdraw its proposed regulatory framework to reduce salmonella illness from poultry is just the latest development at the agency that weakens its ability to respond to foodborne illness outbreaks, according to Consumer Reports. Earlier this year, CR released an analysis detailing the large number of poultry plants with high levels of Salmonella contamination and urged the USDA to strengthen its proposed framework, which sought to keep poultry contaminated with Salmonella above a certain level off the market and subject to recall.
“The USDA’s decision is disappointing and troubling given the large number of poultry plants that have been found to pose a higher risk of triggering a Salmonella outbreak,” said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports. “Combined with recent staff and budget cuts, the delay in the implementation of the food traceability rule, and the elimination of critical food safety advisory committees, the administration is sending the message that consumers will be on their own when it comes to protecting their families from foodborne illness.”
Ronholm continued, “Salmonella infections from poultry have increased steadily over the past decade and sicken hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. Consumers deserve better safeguards against Salmonella and other threats to our food supply.”
The USDA’s proposed regulatory framework would have declared any chicken or turkey product as adulterated if they contain any type of Salmonella at or above 10 colony forming units (CFUs)/per millimeter or gram (10 cfu/mL(g)) and if they are contaminated with Salmonella strains of particular health concern for that commodity.
For any chicken product to be considered of public health concern under the proposed standard, it would have to be at or above 10 CFU for any Salmonellaand have detectable levels of the three serotypes: Enteritidis, Typhimurium, and I, 4 [5], 12:i-. For ground turkey to be considered of public health concern, it would have to be above 10 CFU for any Salmonella and have detectable levels of the following three serotypes: Typhimurium, Hadar, and Muenchen.
In its comment letter to the USDA, CR characterized that standard as too lax and urged the USDA to adopt an enforceable product standard for these poultry products that contain any type of Salmonella at 1 cfu/mL(g) as they did for not-ready-to-eat breaded stuffed chicken products.
While Salmonella can be spread through many foods, poultry is a leading source. Chicken alone accounts for more Salmonella infections than any other food category and has been steadily increasing over the past ten years. An estimated 195,634 illnesses are caused by Salmonella contaminated chicken, costing Americans $2.8 billion per year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of Salmonella illnesses in people increased between 1996 and 2022, going from 14.5 illnesses per 100,000 population in 1996 to 16.3 illnesses in 2022. Typical Salmonella infection symptoms include nausea, vomiting, severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and low-grade fever.
Salmonella contamination is widespread in chicken in part because of the often crowded and filthy conditions in which they are raised. A 2022 CR investigation, for example, found almost one-third of ground chicken samples tested contained Salmonella. Of those, 91 percent were contaminated with one of the three strains that pose the biggest threat to human health: Infantis, Typhimurium, and Enteritidis.
Media contact: Michael McCauley, michael.mccauley@consumer.org