The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Monday announced proposed new regulations that would force food processors to reduce the amount of salmonella bacteria found in some raw chicken products or risk being shut down, The Associated Press reports.
The tough
rules announced by the federal government would declare salmonella an
adulterant – a contaminant that can cause food-borne illness – in breaded and
stuffed raw chicken products, according to The Associated Press.
That includes
many frozen foods found in grocery stores, including chicken cordon bleu and
chicken Kyiv products that appear to be cooked through but only heat-treated to
set the batter or breading, The Associated Press reported.
USDA
reportedly notified producers of the proposed changes Friday.
USDA moves to curtail illnesses related to Salmonella bacteria
The Associated
Press reported that USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin
said it marks the beginning of a broader agency effort to curtail illnesses
caused by the salmonella bacteria, which sickens 1.3 million Americans each
year.
The bacteria kills an estimated 420 people per annum and also sends 26,000 people to hospitals each year, The Associated Press cited data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One in every 25 packages of chicken sold contains salmonella bacteria - USDA
The CDC says
approximately one in every 25 packages of chicken sold at grocery stores
contains salmonella bacteria.
In a
statement the USDA said since 1998, breaded and stuffed raw chicken products
have been associated with 14 salmonella outbreaks and approximately 200
illnesses.
USDA new rules provides for routine testing of chicken processing plants
The proposed
new rules require routine testing at chicken processing plants. Products would
be considered adulterated when they exceed a very low level of Salmonella
contamination and would be subject to regulatory action, including shuttering
plants that fail to reduce salmonella bacteria levels in their products, The Associated
Press quoted Eskin as saying.
“This action
and our overall salmonella initiative underscore our view that our job is to
ensure that consumers don’t get sick from meat and poultry products,” she said.
“They shouldn’t be sold if they’re contaminated to the degree that people get
sick.”