New Salmonella, Campylobacter Standards
Tougher Salmonella and Campylobacter standards for chicken are expected to lower the incidence of outbreaks and illnesses, according to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The regulatory program is not mandatory, but companies that fail to meet the Salmonella standard will be named on a public website.
The revised Salmonella standard says that for chickens, no more than 7.5 percent of samples should test positive, versus 20 percent under the old standard. For Campylobacter, the standard is no more than 10.4 percent positive samples for chicken. The new FSIS estimates of illnesses that the new standards may prevent are 5,000 and 20,000, respectively.
For context, the FSIS noted that a Consumer Reports study last year found Campylobacter in 62 percent of retail chicken samples. That same study found Salmonella in 14 percent of retail chicken samples.
