The agriculture sector requires poultry companies to limit salmonella bacteria in their products and will halt the Biden administration’s efforts to prevent food poisoning from contaminated meat.
The department said Thursday it had withdrawn the rules proposed in August after three years of development. Officials who are receiving USDA food safety testing services cited feedback from more than 7,000 public comments and said they would “assess whether or not to update” current Salmonella regulations.
The regulations required poultry companies to maintain levels of salmonella bacteria under certain thresholds and test for the presence of six strains most associated with the disease, including three found in Turkey and three chickens. If the level exceeds the standard, or if any of those strains are found, poultry will not be able to be sold and will be subject to a recall, the proposal states.
The plan aims to reduce an estimated 125,000 salmonella infections from chickens and 43,000 salmonella infections from Turkey each year, according to the USDA. Overall, Salmonella causes 1.35 million infections per year, mostly through food, resulting in around 420 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The withdrawal attracted praise from the National Chicken Council, who cited the proposed rules as legally unhealthy and misunderstood science.
“We are still committed to further reducing salmonella and fully supporting healthy science-based food safety regulations and policies,” said Ashley Peterson, senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs at the group.
However, the move sparked rapid criticism from food safety advocates, including Sandra Eskin, a former USDA official who helped draft the plan.
The withdrawal “sends a clear message that America’s healthy initiatives don’t care about the thousands of people who become ill from preventable food-borne salmonella infections related to poultry,” Eskin said in a statement.
The proposed rules were considered a food safety victory similar to the 1994 decision to ban certain strains of dangerous E. coli bacteria from ground beef after a fatal outbreak, said Sarah Sosher of the Science Center for the Public Good.
“Don’t make a mistake. Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores certainly makes Americans sick,” Sosher said.
Earlier this month, the USDA said it would delay the enforcement of the final regulations regulating salmonella levels for certain breadcrumbs and stuffed chicken products by six months. The execution, set for May 1, now begins on November 3.
Foods such as frozen chicken cordon blew and chicken Kiev dishes appear to be fully cooked, but are heat treated only to set up the batter and coating. Such a product It is linked Since 1998, at least 14 salmonella outbreaks and at least 200 illnesses, according to the CDC.
