USDA Will Test Broilers for Baseline on Salmonella and Campylobacter
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is gearing up for a one-year study to collect baseline data concerning the prevalence and quantitative levels of selected foodborne pathogens and microorganisms in raw chicken. The microbes serve as indicators of process control.
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The two main pathogens targeted in the baseline study are Salmonella and Campylobacter, which Consumer Reports found recently to be common in store-purchased raw chicken .
FSIS has announced a "shakedown" period of training for plant inspection personnel to learn the routines of the so-called FSIS Nationwide Raw Chicken Parts Microbiological Baseline Data Collection Program. The testing will focus on broilers cut into chicken parts "of the type typically available for purchase by consumers.''
Before the baseline study begins, FSIS will conduct a 90-day training period. The purpose is to ensure that inspectors are familiar with new sample collection procedures for raw chicken parts. During this period, chicken parts are tested for Salmonella, Campylobacter, generic Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and plate counts of aerobic microorganisms.
Inspectors will inform plant personnel that the microbiological sampling from this baseline testing will not be the basis for regulatory actions.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen will publish results of the baseline study when theybecome available.
