The U.S. Agriculture Department Has Decided Not To Require Poultry Companies To Limit Salmonella Bacteria In Their Products

The U.S. Agriculture Department has decided not to require poultry companies to limit salmonella bacteria in their products, halting a major Biden Administration food safety initiative. On Thursday, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced it was withdrawing a proposed rule after receiving over 7,000 public comments, stating it would “evaluate whether it should update” current regulations.

The rule, first proposed in August after three years of development, would have forced poultry companies to control salmonella levels and test for six specific strains most associated with illness. Contaminated products would have been barred from sale and recalled if necessary. The USDA estimated that the proposal could have prevented 125,000 chicken-related and 43,000 turkey-related salmonella infections each year. Currently, salmonella causes around 1.35 million infections and 420 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Industry groups praised the withdrawal. The National Chicken Council, representing poultry companies, argued the proposed rule was “legally unsound,” “misinterpreted science,” and would have led to higher costs and increased food waste “with no meaningful impact on public health.” Ashley Peterson, the council’s senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs, said, “We remain committed to further reducing salmonella and fully support food safety regulations and policies that are based on sound science.”

However, food safety advocates sharply criticized the decision. Sandra Eskin, a former USDA official who helped draft the proposal, said the move “sends the clear message that the Make America Healthy Again initiative does not care about the thousands of people who get sick from preventable foodborne salmonella infections linked to poultry.” Sarah Sorscher from the Center for Science in the Public Interest added, “Make no mistake: Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker.”

Separately, the USDA also delayed enforcement of a rule regulating salmonella in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products like frozen chicken cordon bleu, pushing enforcement from May 1 to November 3. These products have been linked to at least 14 outbreaks and 200 illnesses since 1998, according to the CDC.

Link: AP News