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In tests conducted over the past dozen years, Consumer Reports has consistently found campylobacter and salmonella—the leading bacterial causes of foodborne illness—in fresh, store-bought broilers. Finally, the government is taking steps that we've been advocating to help prevent tens of thousands of human illnesses annually.
In May, the Department of Agriculture proposed new rules for poultry processors that it estimates would prevent 65,000 foodborne illnesses a year. The standards aim to reduce salmonella in broilers and turkeys and, for the first time, establish limits for campylobacter. The USDA will publish names of plants that don't meet the revised salmonella standards and will consider naming establishments that don't meet the new campylobacter standards.
In June, the Food and Drug Administration recommended steps that would limit the use of some antibiotic drugs in chickens and other food animals. The goal: to reduce the emergence of bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics used in people.
Bottom line. These are good steps, but they don't go far enough. Our tests have shown that some companies can achieve lower levels of salmonella and campylobacter than those the USDA has set. And the FDA's antibiotic recommendations have no teeth.
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