Salmonella testing program for some chicken products on hold for 6 months

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is delaying a testing program that will determine whether certain raw chicken products are contaminated with Salmonella.

The verification and sampling program for not-ready-to-eat breaded and stuffed chicken products was originally set to begin on May 1, but has been delayed to Nov. 3. The USDA is also delaying the date by which establishments must reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans for such products.

It has been and still is legal for industry to knowingly sell chicken contaminated with Salmonella. The USDA is blaming the delay in the testing program for not-ready-to-eat breaded and stuffed chicken products on President Biden, saying that it is necessary because of “competing priorities at the end of the last Presidential Administration.”

In the announcement about the delay, the USDA said it needs additional time to provide additional guidance.

“This additional time is necessary for FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) to finalize its instructions to inspectors and prepare its inspection program personnel and laboratories for the new sampling and testing,” according to the USDA announcement.

The USDA has been working on the testing program for years, having consulted with industry about it. The agency told industry about the final regulations for the program on May, 1, 2024, when it published its final determination in the Federal Register that declared Salmonella to be an adulterant in not-ready-to-eat, breaded, stuffed chicken products.

During the six-month delay for the testing program, the USDA plans to issue updated provide sampling instructions and training for inspectors. The delay is also reported to be necessary to give new leadership appointed by President Donald Trump time to view and provide policy input about the testing program.

Even though the testing program details have been available to industry for a year, the USDA says the delay will allow FSIS “to help establishments comply with the final determination by providing new recommendations on lotting and holding product. FSIS may issue a guidance document or hold webinars to provide guidance. This additional time will allow industry to ask questions and provide feedback on the agency guidance.”

After the testing program for the not-ready-to-eat chicken products goes into effect, the FSIS plans to implement final product standards for all chicken regarding contamination by five Salmonella serotypes. The agency published those standards in July 2024.

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