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| Progress Report
on Salmonella Testing of Raw Meat and Poultry Products, 1998–20071 |
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) uses data from its regulatory testing programs to monitor the
effectiveness of its Pathogen Reduction: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR/HACCP) rule and to
assess process control in individual establishments. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has
incorporated the target of 6.8 cases of salmonellosis/100,000 persons into its
Healthy People 2010 objectives, which FSIS
recognizes as appropriate guidance for the Agency's strategic planning to strengthen public health protection.
In 1996, FSIS established PR/HACCP to verify that establishments demonstrate consistent process control for
preventing, eliminating, or reducing the contamination of raw meat and poultry products with disease-causing
bacteria, by setting Salmonella performance standards that slaughter establishments and establishments
that produce raw ground products should meet. Raw products with established performance standards and guidance include:
carcasses of cows/bulls, steers/heifers, market hogs, broilers, and turkeys. Processed products measured by
performance standards include: ground beef, ground chicken, and ground turkey. The performance standards
are based on the prevalence of Salmonella as determined from the Agency's nationwide microbiological baseline
studies conducted prior to PR/HACCP implementation. The performance standards and guidance are expressed in
terms of the maximum number of Salmonella-positive samples acceptable per sample set. The number of samples
in a sample set varies by product, and the maximum number of positive samples acceptable in a set provides an 80%
probability of an establishment passing when it is operating at the standard.
Prior to 2006, there were two phases of the FSIS regulatory program for Salmonella in raw products:
non-targeted and targeted testing. Non-targeted or "A" set tests were collected at establishments
randomly selected from the population of eligible establishments, with a goal of scheduling every eligible
establishment at least once a year. Other codes (such as "B", "C", and "D")
represented sample sets collected from establishments targeted for follow-up testing following a failed set.
Beginning with the third 2006 quarterly report,
reports have data summarized from all sets collected. (Note: Earlier reports will not be retrospectively changed).
In February 2006, FSIS issued a Federal Register notice:
"Salmonella Verification Sample Result Reporting: Agency Policy and use in Public Health Protection"
announcing how FSIS would report and use results from its Salmonella verification sampling program for meat
and poultry establishments. In this Notice the Agency announced its intention to redirect its Salmonella
verification sampling program and announced eleven new initiatives to encourage establishments to reassess their food
safety systems to achieve and maintain consistent process control. As one of these new initiatives, FSIS increased
testing frequency in establishments with variable or highly variable process control compared to those showing consistent
process control. Since June 2006, establishments have been scheduled based on risk-based criteria
designed to focus
FSIS resources on establishments with the most samples positive for Salmonella and the greatest number of
samples with serotypes most frequently associated with human salmonellosis,
(relative to each product class) as defined by
CDC.2
Furthermore, establishments are grouped into one of three categories. Category 1 includes establishments whose two
most recent Salmonella set results are equal to or less than 50% of the
performance standard. The Agency considers these establishments to demonstrate consistent process control. Category 2
includes establishments where at least one of their two most recent set results was greater than 50% of the performance
standards without exceeding it, or they have passed their most recent set but failed the one prior to that, or they have
completed and passed only 1 set. These establishments are considered to have variable process control. Category 3 includes
establishments whose most recent Salmonella set result has exceeded the performance standard for its product class.
The Agency considers these establishments to display highly variable process control.
Results
This report presents percent positive Salmonella sample results and percent sample sets meeting the
Salmonella performance standards listed by product class and PR/HACCP establishment size for 2007
and previous years (Table A1 and A2).
Data is presented in aggregate form for the periods 1998-2003 and 1998-2007.
Individual sample results (Table A1)
are counted in the year the sample is collected. Sample sets (Table A2)
are counted in the year they are completed. For example, in case of broilers a set consists of 51 individual samples;
50 individual samples that were collected in 2006 count toward 2006 results (Table A1);
however, because the sample set is going on and is completed in 2007 the set will be counted in 2007 (Table A2).
Figure 1 (PDF Only) compares Salmonella
percent positive results from 1998 to 2007 with baseline prevalence, by product class and year. Percentages of
sample sets meeting Salmonella performance standards by product class from 1998 to 2007 are presented in
Figure 2 (PDF Only).
In Table 3, establishments are listed
by product classes and percentage within categories 1, 2, and 3 for each product class.
Broilers
FSIS continues to direct resources toward testing broiler establishments. In 2007 (Table A1),
9,408 Salmonella samples were collected from broiler establishments. The total percentage of positive samples
was 8.5%, down from 11.4% in 2006 and from a high of 16.3% in 2005. In addition, of the 215 sets completed in 2007
(Table A2) at broiler establishments,
97.2% met the Salmonella performance standard, up from 88.6% in 2006.
By the end of 2007, 145 broiler establishments eligible for federal testing were in Category 1, comprising 74% of
all broiler establishments. Forty-seven broiler establishments were in Category 2, at 24% of all broiler
establishments. Three broiler establishments were in Category 3, making up 2% of all broiler establishments.
Market Hog
In 2007, 7,308 samples were collected. The total percent of Salmonella positive sample tests was 2.8%,
compared to 4.0 % in 2006. Of the 147 sets completed in 2007, 97.3% met the Salmonella performance standard
for this product class.
Sixty-nine percent of market hog establishments were in Category 1, representing 174 establishments. Twenty-seven
percent of establishments were in Category 2, representing 68 establishments. Ten establishments exceeded the performance
standard (Category 3), representing 4% of the eligible establishments.
Cows/Bulls
In 2007, 3,969 samples were collected at eligible establishments with 1.1% of the samples positive for Salmonella.
This compared to 2,246 samples collected in 2006, with 0.8% of these testing positive. Sixty-three sets were completed
in 2007 with 95.2% of these meeting the performance standard. This is almost double the 34 sets completed in 2006,
when 91.2% met the performance standard.
Sixty-five percent of cow bull establishments (73 establishments) were in Category 1, 32% (36 establishments) in
Category 2, and 3% (4 establishments) were in
Category 3.
Steers/Heifers
During 2007, 4,355 samples were collected from 120 eligible establishments, with 0.2% positive for Salmonella.
In 2006, 3,674 samples were collected of which 0.3% were positive for Salmonella. In 2007, 57 sets were completed,
with 94.7% of these meeting the performance standard. This compares to 2006, when 33 Salmonella sets were
completed and 93.9% of them met the performance standard. Fifty-six percent (67 establishments) were in Category 1
at the end of 2007, 42% (51 establishments) in Category 2, and 2% (2 establishments) in Category 3.
Ground Beef
In 2007, 13,695 ground beef samples were collected from 945 eligible establishments, 2.7% of which tested positive
for Salmonella. This compares to 2006, when 17,849 samples were collected with 2.0% testing positive.
Two hundred and fifty-three sets were completed, 96.0% meeting the performance standard, compared to 2006 when
371 sets were completed and 97.6% met the performance standard. Seventy-seven percent (733 establishments) were in
Category 1, 21% (195 establishments) in Category 2, and 2% (17 establishments) in Category 3.
Ground Chicken
In 2007, 506 samples were collected from 14 establishments eligible for sampling, with a total of 26.3% percent
positive. More than twice the samples were taken in 2007 compared to 2006, when only two sets were completed.
The results show that this product class has again dropped well below the 44.6% performance standard. The total
percent of sample sets meeting the performance standard is 90%. Twenty-nine percent (4 establishments) of ground
chicken establishments were in Category 1 at the end of 2007, with 57% (8 establishments) in Category 2, and 14% (2
establishments) in Category 3.
Ground Turkey
In 2007, 820 samples were collected from 25 eligible establishments. The total percent of Salmonella
positive sample tests was 17.4%, compared to 20.3% in 2006. Fifteen sets were completed and all 15 passed for 2007,
similar to 2006, when all 12 sets collected passed. Sixty-four percent (16 establishments) of ground turkey
establishments were in Category 1, with the remaining 36% (9 establishments) in Category 2.
NOTE: The sampling frames for ground poultry are being re-examined. FSIS intends to redefine ground
product eligible for testing as all raw comminuted chicken, turkey, or chicken/turkey/beef/lamb/pork mix including
mechanically separated poultry produced at federally-regulated establishments that is not further processed into
RTE product.
Turkeys
In 2007, 1,744 turkey samples were collected, for a total of 45 sets. All sets were passed, i.e., 100% of
establishments met the performance standard. The percent positive Salmonella rate was 6.2%. Eighty-seven
percent (33 establishments) were in Category 1, and the remaining 13% (5 establishments) were in Category 2.
No valid comparison to 2006 data can be made, as the Agency did not commence sampling turkey carcasses until June 2006.
This report reflects data collected during 2007. The Agency is reviewing the progress made since implementing its
new initiatives in July 2006 and will issue a report this year.
Note: Restructuring how Salmonella sets are
scheduled means that comparison of results from 2006 onwards to previous years will be less meaningful in terms of trends.
Similarly, the changes to the verification program will prevent valid comparisons of testing results over time
(e.g., quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year trends). For such comparisons, the results of upcoming nationwide baseline
studies can provide valid estimates of the prevalence of certain pathogens of public health concern and will permit valid
statistical comparisons to be made over time.
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Last Modified:
May 2, 2008 |
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