Protecting families from contaminated food and water
All fields are required
Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Policy,Our Blog,Salmonella on May 28, 2025
A recent announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to nix a regulatory update to prevent Salmonella in poultry is shocking. Why would the organization back-burner this project after being years-in-the-making?
Feds say that the document needs more time.
What is this proposed regulatory framework for Salmonella in poultry, and how does it benefit the consumer?
In August of 2024, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service published a document that would update the existing Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points plan requirements for the poultry industry.
A move to protect consumers from Salmonella in raw poultry at the source.
This document was published in the August 7, 2024 issue of the Federal Register’s Proposed Rules. Essentially making a formal announcement of the intentions and requesting for public comment. Mostly from industry leaders, but consumers can also voice their concerns through those channels too.
Its purpose?
To reduce human Salmonella illnesses and meet the Healthy People 2030 target, which is aimed to “reduce Salmonella infections from all sources to a national case rate of no more than 11.5 per 100,000 consumers per year.
At the current rate, Salmonella illnesses must be reduced by 25% to reach that goal.
Considering the current estimated rate of human Salmonella infections has remained fairly consistent over the past two decades, this is a lofty goal. But the existing 1.3 million cases each year is significant enough to require attention. A sad reality considering the existing “prevalence-based performance standards” have actually reduced the proportion of contamination from Salmonella in raw poultry over the years. But minimal changes in rates of associated illness have been achieved.
The proposed framework would first, make Salmonella an “adulterant” in raw chicken. A previously expected risk in this type of food product.
Making it an adulterant would establish legal maximum limits for the allowable amount of Salmonella in raw poultry. A move that would place the burden on the producer to reduce the amount of the pathogen on the product.
The maximum allowable level for Salmonella in poultry would be marked at 10 colony forming unites (CFUs) per milliliter or gram. The presence of certain significant serotypes at any level is also marked as an adulterant. Serotypes like Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-, Salmonella Hadar, or Salmonella Muenchen. A standard through would be reevaluated every three to five years or so as needed.
This new Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPI) included poultry products such as chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted (ground, chopped, or flaked – essentially processed in some way) chicken and turkey products.
The proposed framework also included several provisions. Including:
According to the FSIS, the withdrawal, published on April 25, 2025, was made because it “determined that additional consideration is needed in light of the feedback received during the public comment period, which closed on January 17, 2025.” A total of 7,089 comments in all. Most were essentially form letters as part of organized letter writing campaigns. But 1,415 of the comments were unique.
Both positive and negative comments were received on the framework. However, one of the biggest arching themes were focused on the “FSIS’ legal authority to propose the final product standards, the proposed Salmonella levels and serotypes for the final product standards, the proposed use of SPC monitoring, the scientific and technical information used to support the proposed framework,” and so on.
However, I imagine the bottom line ended up being the impact to the literal bottom line.
The cost.
So how much would enforceable policies such as those included in the proposed Poultry Products Inspection Act cost?
The estimates were actually included in the initial document release.
The proposal is estimated to have a net benefit of $4.1 million per year over a ten year period and a societal benefit of around $20.5 million per year. But the prevented illnesses alone could save consumers $28.7 million each year alone.
But this benefit to the consumer comes at an industry cost.
An estimated $16.4 million per year cost for the industry (ranging from $3.3 to $32.3 million). While this cost may be an overestimation. The cost of a sampling program at the suggested scale is certainly going to cut into poultry production profits.
Many consumer production groups have publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the decision.
Brain Ronholm, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Reports, for example, stated, “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,” citing their March 2025 study on the “most contaminated” poultry plants in the U.S. “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.”
Even the former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at USDA-FSIS, Sandra Eskin, J.D., CEO of STOP Foodborne Illness explains that the move does not reflect the Make America Healthy Again initiative. “The decision to withdraw the Salmonella poultry framework sends the clear message that the ‘Make America Healthy [Again]’ initiative does not care about the thousands of people who get sick from preventable foodborne Salmonella infections linked to poultry. The proposal was developed with robust stakeholder input and the decision to withdraw it was made before FSIS even had an opportunity to review the extensive docket.
It is as if the organization indicated that there was a need for reform and testing. But then changed their minds and withdrew it.
With this withdrawal, does this mean that potential regulation on the subject is dead?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Of course there are fears that this potentially life-saving preventative requirement may silently get placed at the bottom of the stack. Never to be revisited again. But chances are, there are enough loud voices that will keep that from happening.
It is also unlikely that withdrawal of this proposed framework will impact existing regulations.
For example, In April 2024, FSIS declared Salmonella an adulterant in not-ready-to-eat (NRTE), raw, breaded, and stuffed chicken products at levels exceeding 1 CFU/g. Though about the time of the withdrawal of the updated PIP, the agency did move back the date that the verification sampling program would be required. As well as the mandate for an updated HACCP plan.
Only time will tell how this plays out.
In the meantime, this is your reminder that you can help control Salmonella contamination once the poultry product gets to you.
Keep poultry products and other raw foods away from ready-to-eat foods. Wash your hands regularly and especially after handling poultry products. Wash utensils, surfaces, and anything that touches raw poultry products before using them for ready-to-eat foods. Cook poultry products to a safe internal temperature of 165° F and always measure with a food thermometer. Store leftovers promptly (within two hours) and reheat to a safe temperature.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “USDA Withdraws Proposed Updates to Prevent Salmonella in Raw Poultry After Working on the Project for Years! Why?,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)