USDA Launches Effort to Reduce Salmonella Illness Linked to Poultry
The initiative is a key step toward making chicken and turkey safer for the public, Consumer Reports food safety advocates say
Almost 300,000 people each year in the U.S. are sickened by poultry contaminated by salmonella, a leading cause of foodborne illness. But a new initiative by the Department of Agriculture aims to cut that number by 25 percent.
“Far too many consumers become ill every year from poultry contaminated by salmonella,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Today we’re taking action to help prevent salmonella contamination throughout the poultry supply chain and production system to protect public health.”
Specifically, the agency announced that it will collaborate with industry, researchers, and consumer advocacy groups such as the Coalition for Poultry Safety Reform (which includes Consumer Reports), on how best to control deadly strains of the bacteria both before and after poultry arrives at the meat-processing plants.
