- On August 1, the USDA's FSIS announced that it will declare
Salmonella an adulterant in breaded and stuffed raw
chicken products. Breaded and stuffed raw chicken products will be
considered adulterated when they exceed 1 colony forming unit (CFU)
of Salmonella per gram. Products that exceed the limit
would be subject to regulatory action. FSIS believes the limit of 1
CFU/gram will significantly reduce the risk of illness from
consuming such products.
- Breaded and stuffed raw chicken products have been associated
with up to 14 food safety outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses
since 1998. The products at issue are those found in the freezer
section and that appear to be cooked, but are only heat-treated to
set the batter or breading; the products contain raw poultry. FSIS
has found that continual efforts to improve product labeling have
not reduced consumer illnesses.
- FSIS is expected to publish a notice in the Federal Register in
the fall and will be seeking public comments on whether a different
standard for adulteration (i.e., zero tolerance or one based on
specific serotypes) would be more appropriate, an implementation
plan, and a verification testing program.
- This announcement is part of FSIS' effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry. In October 2021, USDA announced that it was reevaluating its Salmonella control strategy. USDA plans to present a proposed framework for a new comprehensive strategy to reduce Salmonella illnesses attributable to poultry in October and convene a public meeting to discuss in November.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.