NCC Expresses Grave Concerns with New FSIS Salmonella Regulation

The National Chicken Council today released the following statement in response to FSIS announcing its plans to declare Salmonella an adulterant in frozen, raw, breaded, stuffed, chicken products. Attributable to NCC President Mike Brown.

“NCC is gravely concerned that the precedent set by this abrupt shift in longstanding policy has the potential to shutter processing plants, cost jobs, and take safe food and convenient products off shelves, without moving the needle on public health.

“As these products often appear ready to eat, but contain raw chicken, we recognize their nature raises...

USDA Proposes Declaring Salmonella an Adulterant in Breaded Stuffed Raw Chicken Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released today a proposed determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products when they exceed a very low level of Salmonella contamination. This announcement is a significant first step that builds on FSIS’ proposed regulatory framework to reduce Salmonella infections linked to poultry products, released in October 2022.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that Salmonella bacteria cause approximately 1.35 million human infections and 26,500 hospitalizations...

NCC: Industry is Committed to Reducing Salmonella, but FSIS’s Proposed Framework Not Right Approach

NCC recently filed comments to USDA regarding its recently Proposed Framework for Salmonella in poultry production.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on October 17 announced a new Proposed Framework for controlling Salmonella in poultry production along with a virtual public meeting.

In addition to the meeting, which provided very limited stakeholder feedback on the wide-ranging proposal, the Agency also made public a comment docket for stakeholders. Comments were due on December 16 after the Agency granted a one month delay...

Release of Annual Report for 2020 on the Sources of Foodborne Illness by the IFSAC

The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration’s (IFSAC) newest annual report , “Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2020 for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States,” is now available.

IFSAC analyzes foodborne illness outbreak data for priority pathogens and specific foods and food categories that are responsible for foodborne illnesses in the United States. The data are analyzed by calendar year and released in an annual report as part of ongoing efforts to understand sources of foodborne illness...

NCC Delivers Comments on FSIS Proposed Salmonella Framework

The National Chicken Council (NCC) today delivered public comments at a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) virtual meeting about the agency’s recently announced regulatory framework for Salmonella in poultry products. NCC’s comments addressed each of the three components the agency said it is currently considering as part of a new strategy.

Food safety is a top priority for the broiler industry, and NCC supports changes in food safety regulations that are based on sound science, robust data, and are demonstrated to positively impact public health...

NTF Statement on FSIS Salmonella Framework

The National Turkey Federation (NTF) issued the following statement on the release of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) Proposed Regulatory Framework to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses Attributable to Poultry:

“National Turkey Federation members are committed to further enhancing the safety of their products and building on the turkey industry’s ongoing efforts to address Salmonella throughout turkey production. As FSIS and industry look towards comprehensive strategies to advance this priority, it is imperative that the best science drive food safety policy. The Salmonella..."

NCC Says FSIS’s New Salmonella Framework Lacks Data, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a new regulatory framework in an effort it says will reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products.

Specifically, FSIS said it would be proposing three components, including:

- Requiring incoming flocks be tested for Salmonella before entering an establishment;
- Enhancing establishment process control monitoring and FSIS verification;
- Implementing an enforceable final product standard.

“We support the need to develop science-based approaches that will impact public health, but this is being done backwards,” said Ashley Peterson...

FDA Issues Final Guidance for Shell Egg Producers Providing Laying Hens with Access to Areas Outside

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued final guidance for shell egg producers on how to comply with certain provisions in the final rule titled, "Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation” (egg rule).

The final guidance, “Prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in Shell Eggs During Production, Storage, and Transportation (Layers with Access to Areas Outside the Poultry House): Questions and Answers Regarding the Final Rule,” is the FDA’s fourth guidance to help industry comply with the egg...

NCC Statement in Response to FSIS Announcing its Plans to Declare Salmonella an Adulterant 

The National Chicken Council today released the following statement in response to FSIS announcing its plans to declare Salmonella an adulterant in frozen, raw, breaded, stuffed, chicken products. Attributable to Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs.

“As these products often appear ready to eat, but contain raw chicken, we recognize their nature raises special considerations that merit additional attention. The National Chicken Council (NCC) and our member companies have invested millions of dollars and have worked for more than a...