October 31, 2013

USDA report reveals 34% drop in Salmonella prevalence in young chicken carcasses

The prevalence of the Salmonella bacteria in raw young chicken carcasses has dropped 34% during the first quarter of 2013, representing a decline of over 120% during the past five years, according to a report from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Titled "Quarterly Progress Reports on Salmonella and Campylobacter Testing of Selected Raw Meat and Poultry Products", the report contained testing information from the period of April 1 - June 30, 2013. 

2,955 samples were collected from young chicken carcasses, and showed a positive rate of only 2.6% for Salmonella, a fraction of the FSIS performance standard of 7.5% for these livestock. The same samples were also analysed for Campylobacter. While the percent positive remained unchanged from the first quarter of 2013, it represents a decrease of almost 50% since FSIS began testing for the bacteria on post-chill young chicken carcasses in 2011.

The number of establishments which have performed better than half of the performance standard for Salmonella had risen from the previous quarter.  In the second quarter of 2013, there were 70.1% of these 'Category One' young chicken establishments, compared to the 67.6% recorded during the first quarter of 2013.  Additionally, the number of establishments in Category Three has dropped by almost 35%, indicating an improvement in performance at those establishments.

"Overall, the results presented in this quarterly report indicate that we continue to make improvements in the incidence rate of Salmonella and Campylobacter on young chicken carcasses," said Ashley Peterson, the vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at the National Chicken Council.  "Establishments continue to demonstrate progress which is evident by the increased number of establishments in Category One and the decreased number of establishments in Category Three."

Chicken processors are required to meet FSIS performance standards.  For young chicken carcasses which are removed from the chiller, the performance standard is 7.5% for Salmonella and 10.4% for Campylobacter.  These samples are taken by FSIS, for verification purposes, and the plant itself prior to the packaging of chicken meat. 

While there is currently no performance standard for chicken parts, FSIS has completed baseline testing in the spring of 2013 and is expected to publish a new standard for chicken parts in 2014.