Consumer Foodborne Illness Advocacy Group Reacts to USDA Salmonella Announcement

CHICAGO — The Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced plans to declare Salmonella an adulterant.

In addition, the USDA has plans to establish enforceable raw poultry product standards. These include a uniform final product standard for all poultry products, requiring Salmonella testing for poultry flocks entering facilities and discussing a zero-tolerance policy in an effort to prevent contaminated products from reaching consumers.

Salmonella remains a leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States with an estimated 1.35 million cases of salmonellosis annually resulting in 420 deaths.

Stop Foodborne Illness, a national nonprofit representing consumers impacted by food safety failures and collaborates with academia, the food industry and government to prevent foodborne illnesses — applauds the USDA-FSIS commitment to tackle the significant burden of illness caused by Salmonella in poultry.

"STOP supports meaningful and enforceable Salmonella product standards that determine which products can safely enter the market and those which cannot. We, along with consumers, have been petitioning the agency for these modern advancements, along with our colleagues from the Coalition for New Poultry Safety Program," said Mitzi Baum, CEO of STOP.

Chicken and turkey are major contributors to Salmonella sicknesses — according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Until today's announcement, Salmonella standards haven't been meaningfully updated for over 25 years, even though science has advanced dramatically," added Baum.