Background of the Proposed Regulation

Initially unveiled last year, the proposed rule underwent three years of development before its abrupt withdrawal. The regulation had intended to set maximum allowable levels of salmonella bacteria in poultry products and mandated testing for six specific strains most commonly linked to illness, including three associated with turkey and three with chicken.

Details of the Regulation

Under the guideline, any poultry found to exceed salmonella thresholds or containing the targeted strains would be deemed unsellable and subject to recall. This framework aimed to improve public health outcomes by reducing the incidence of salmonella infections linked to poultry consumption.

Reasons for Withdrawal

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service cited feedback from over 7,000 public comments as a significant factor in its decision to withdraw the proposed regulations. USDA officials indicated that they would “evaluate whether it should update” current salmonella regulations moving forward.

Statistics on Salmonella Infections

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that salmonella results in approximately 1.35 million infections in the United States annually, predominantly linked to food consumption, leading to about 420 fatalities. According to the USDA, chicken and turkey alone are responsible for an estimated 125,000 and 43,000 infections each year, respectively.

Reactions to the Decision

The decision to withdraw the proposed rule has stirred mixed reactions:

• The National Chicken Council, representing poultry producers, supported the withdrawal, arguing the proposed rule lacked legal grounding, misrepresented scientific findings, and would have escalated production costs without substantially improving public health.
• Conversely, food safety advocates voiced strong criticism. Sandra Eskin, a former USDA official involved in the proposal’s development, noted that this action sends a troubling message regarding the government’s commitment to combating preventable salmonella infections.

Historical Context

This withdrawal follows a historical precedent where the USDA effectively regulated E. coli in ground beef after a series of severe food poisoning outbreaks occurred in the 1990s. Since then, related illnesses have declined by more than 50%. Experts suggest that the USDA previously refrained from setting salmonella limits due to inadequate technologies for monitoring bacterial levels.

Future Steps and Regulatory Changes

In related news, the USDA has announced a delay in the enforcement of a final rule that regulates salmonella levels in certain breaded and stuffed raw chicken products, extending the deadline from May 1 to November 3, 2025. Such products, which include frozen items like chicken cordon bleu, have been implicated in numerous salmonella outbreaks since 1998, leading to at least 200 illnesses, according to the CDC.