USDA Abandons Initiative to Regulate Salmonella Levels in Poultry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has decided to withdraw its proposed regulations aimed at controlling salmonella bacteria in poultry products, including chicken and turkey. This decision marks the end of a significant effort by the Biden administration to mitigate foodborne illnesses associated with these products.

According to reports from the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, the proposal, which had been under consideration for three years, has now been discarded. Officials indicated that they received over 7,000 public comments regarding the proposed rule and stated that they would assess whether to amend existing regulations instead.

The withdrawn proposal included specific requirements for poultry producers to maintain salmonella levels below a defined threshold and to conduct testing for six strains of the bacteria primarily linked to illness. Products found to exceed these limits or to test positive for the specified strains would have been prohibited from sale and subject to recalls.

The initiative aimed to prevent an estimated 125,000 salmonella infections attributable to chicken and 43,000 linked to turkey annually. Overall, salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million infections each year in the United States, resulting in around 420 deaths, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The National Chicken Council, a trade organization representing the poultry industry, expressed support for the USDA's decision to abandon the proposed regulations. They argued that the initiative was legally flawed, misunderstood scientific principles, would have increased costs, and potentially led to greater food waste without making a significant impact on public health. A senior representative from the organization stated their ongoing commitment to reducing salmonella levels while advocating for food safety measures grounded in sound scientific understanding.

In contrast, food safety advocates have criticized the USDA's decision. A former USDA official who was involved in drafting the now-abandoned rule asserted that the withdrawal sends a troubling signal about the administration's commitment to addressing preventable foodborne illnesses linked to poultry products. Advocates emphasized that allowing higher levels of salmonella in food supplies could lead to increased illness among consumers.

Additionally, the USDA recently postponed the enforcement of an existing rule that regulates salmonella levels in specific breaded and stuffed raw chicken products, such as frozen chicken cordon bleu. Originally scheduled to take effect on May 1, the enforcement of this rule has been delayed until November 3. These products have been associated with at least 14 salmonella outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses since 1998, according to CDC data.

For further information on salmonella symptoms and causes, resources are available from the Mayo Clinic.