A U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary says the proposed regulatory framework for a new strategy aimed at controlling salmonella in poultry products, announced earlier this month, should drive down foodborne illnesses, according to a department news release.
The proposed regulatory framework announced in the Oct. 14, news release issued by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) should reduce salmonella illnesses attributed to poultry products.
A virtual public meeting is scheduled Nov. 3 for stakeholders on the proposed framework.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin
| usda.gov/
"We know that salmonella in poultry is a complex problem with no single solution," said USDA Deputy Undersecretary Sandra Eskin in the news release. "However, we have identified a series of strategic actions FSIS could take that are likely to drive down salmonella infections linked to poultry products consumption, and we are presenting those in this proposed framework."
The news release cited estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that salmonella bacteria annually cause about 1.35 million human infections and 26,500 hospitalizations in the United States. Of those infections, more than 23% are attributed to poultry consumption, costing about $4.1 billion annually, in addition to $88 million in lost productivity to the economy.
STOP Foodborne Illness board member Amanda Craten called the framework "a historic first step toward final product standards that are science-based, risk-based, enforceable, and effective at protecting our vulnerable loved ones."
"As a parent of a child who suffered from salmonella illness and is left with permanent injury, I have advocated and engaged in the process to modernize poultry standards to ensure no child has to experience the devastation of a preventable, virulent salmonella illness," Craten added. "I'm thankful that USDA is making the prevention of illnesses like my son Noah's a priority."
The framework "is an important step toward moving away from hazard-based regulation toward risk-based regulation," Dr. Craig Hedberg, a professor at University of Minnesota School of Public Health and co-director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, said in the news release.
"Focusing on levels of salmonella and highly virulent strains of salmonella rather than just the presence or absence of salmonella should reduce the number of illnesses associated with poultry," Hedberg added.
