Food & Agriculture

CFA, Food Safety Advocates Submit Comments on New USDA Performance Indicator for Salmonella in Poultry

CFA joined consumer groups Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumers Union, and foodborne illness victims’ advocacy group Stop Foodborne Illness, in submitting the following comments to the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regarding its proposal to better track contamination of poultry products by Salmonella serotypes that are most associated with human illnesses. The four groups submitted a petition at the beginning of the year asking FSIS to revise Salmonella performance standards that fail to distinguish between dangerous and relatively benign variants of the bacteria. The recent comment letter commends FSIS for taking a step towards standards more aligned with public health objectives, but urges the agency to set more ambitious goals and to create incentives for regulated companies to reduce dangerous Salmonella contamination, including by developing and implementing the reforms set out in the groups’ petition.