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FSIS Announces Initiative to Reduce Salmonella in Meat and Poultry |
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Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Tara Balsley
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2006 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and
Inspection Service (FSIS) today announced a comprehensive initiative to reduce the presence of Salmonella
in raw meat and poultry products.
"Our goal is to work proactively to reduce the presence of Salmonella on raw products before
plants develop a pattern of poor performance," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard
Raymond. "FSIS will more quickly report testing results and target establishments needing improvement,
providing timely information to both consumers and industry."
The initiative will include concentrating resources at establishments with higher levels of Salmonella
and changes the reporting and utilization of FSIS Salmonella verification test results. The effort is
patterned after the highly successful FSIS initiative to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7
in ground beef. The FSIS E. coli O157:H7 initiative led to a 40 percent reduction in human illnesses
associated with the pathogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Central to
the E. coli O157:H7 model's success was a collective acknowledgement by industry that this food
safety hazard needed to be addressed in all their food safety systems.
Certain serotypes of Salmonella, which are known to cause human illness, are commonly found in raw
meat and poultry. Other food sources, such as produce and eggs, are also known to cause salmonellosis.
Where FSIS has performed Food Safety Assessments (FSAs) in establishments that have persistently poor
performance records for controlling Salmonella, there has been a dramatic reduction in the levels of
Salmonella. These results have clearly demonstrated that establishments can indeed control the
incidence of Salmonella in the raw products they produce. FSAs are comprehensive, systematic
evaluations of a firm's food safety system performed by Enforcement, Investigation and Analysis Officers (EIAOs).
The Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR/HACCP) rule, implemented July 25, 1996,
established Salmonella performance standards for the first time in seven categories of raw meat and
poultry products: broilers; market hogs; cows/bulls; steers/heifers; ground beef; ground chicken; and ground
turkey. FSIS collects and analyzes Salmonella samples as one part of an extensive science-based food
safety verification system and publishes the data annually
in aggregate form.
Since 2002, FSIS has seen an increase in Salmonella positive samples in broilers. Although the
overall percentage of positive samples in verification testing of broilers is still below national
baseline prevalence figures, the recent upward trend is of concern to the Agency.
According to the strategy, which is described in a Federal Register notice
to be published February 27, FSIS will now provide the results of its Salmonella performance
standard testing to establishments as soon as they become available on a sample-by-sample basis. This will
enable establishments to more readily identify and respond to needed process control in the slaughter-dressing
operation. Receiving individual sample results soon after the samples are taken will help establishments in their
assessment of whether their slaughter dressing procedures are adequate for pathogen reduction.
Currently, establishments receive results after the sample set is completed (for broilers a sample set consists
of 51 consecutive days of sampling). FSIS will also begin quarterly posting on its Web site of the nationwide
aggregate results of all sample results to give consumers more complete and timely information about Salmonella trends.
The postings will provide consumers with meaningful information about overall industry performance in protecting public
health.
FSIS will also plan to more quickly have the serotype of Salmonella found in positive samples
determined in order to notify the establishment and monitor and investigate illness outbreaks in coordination
with federal, state and local public health agencies. These results also could provide useful information about
trends in the presence of serotypes of Salmonella in order to prevent outbreaks.
In August, FSIS held a public meeting to hear presentations on advances in pre-harvest reduction of
Salmonella in poultry. The comprehensive Salmonella initiative will be presented and discussed
during a meeting on post-harvest Salmonella reduction strategies in poultry February 23-24, in
Atlanta, Ga.
Comments on the notice must be received on or before May 30, 2006, and must be sent to Docket Clerk, #04-026N, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 300 12th Street, S.W., Room 102 Cotton Annex, Washington, D.C., 20250.
Comments will also be posted on the Agency's Web site at https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081106102431/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
regulations_&_policies/2006_notices_index.asp
For further information, contact Daniel Engeljohn, Ph.D., deputy assistant administrator for the Office of
Policy, Programs, and Employee Development, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
via telephone at (202) 205-0495 or facsimile at (202) 401-1760.
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Last Modified:
March 1, 2006 |
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