Food Safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

Backgrounders

October 1999

Progress Report on Salmonella Testing of Raw Meat and Poultry Products

Summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service is releasing a progress report on its first six months of testing in 1999 for Salmonella in raw meat and poultry products. The progress report, which covers January 26, 1999, through July 30, 1999, presents data for broilers, swine, and ground beef in large plants and data for broilers and ground beef in small plants.

Previously, FSIS published a report on Salmonella testing in large plants for the entire year of 1998. That report showed a significant decrease in the prevalence of Salmonella in raw products from large plants. The 1998 results can be found at the FSIS Web Site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ophs/salmdata.htm .

Although the 1999 results are still considered preliminary, and the data are insufficient to generalize across the industry, Salmonella prevalence in each of the product categories being reported is lower after Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) implementation than in baseline studies conducted before HACCP implementation. In addition, the vast majority of plants are complying with the Salmonella performance standards. The results are encouraging in light of the agency's goal to reduce, to the extent possible, pathogens that can cause foodborne illness.

Consumers should continue to properly handle, prepare, and store all meat, poultry, and egg products in order to guard against foodborne illness.

Background

On July 25, 1996, FSIS published its final rule on Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Systems, which established new requirements for all meat and poultry products to improve food safety. Under the rule, all slaughter and processing plants are required to adopt the system of process controls known as HACCP to prevent food safety hazards. In addition, slaughter plants are required to conduct microbial testing for generic E. coli to verify that their process control systems are working as intended to prevent fecal contamination, a primary avenue of contamination of raw product with harmful bacteria. FSIS also required plants to adopt and follow written Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) to reduce the likelihood that harmful bacteria will contaminate the finished product.

In addition, to verify that HACCP systems are effective in controlling contamination of raw product from harmful bacteria, the rule sets pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella that slaughter plants and plants that produce raw ground products must meet. FSIS verifies that plants are meeting the standards by taking product samples and analyzing them for Salmonella in FSIS laboratories.

The requirements contained in the final rule on Pathogen Reduction and HACCP are being implemented in stages. The requirements for SSOPs in all plants, and generic E. coli testing in slaughter plants, became effective on January 27, 1997. The requirements for HACCP and the Salmonella performance standards are being phased in based on plant size. All large plants--those with 500 or more employees--were required to implement these requirements on January 26, 1998. Small plants--those with 10 or more, but fewer than 500 employees--were required to implement these requirements on January 25, 1999. Very small plants--those having fewer than 10 employees or annual sales of less than $2.5 million--are required to meet these requirements on January 25, 2000.

Salmonella Performance Standards and Testing Program

The performance standards for Salmonella represent the first time USDA has set microbial standards for raw products on such a broad scale and is the first step towards a greater reliance on performance standards for specific pathogens. Salmonella was selected as the target pathogen because it is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness, it is present at varying frequencies on all types of raw meat and poultry products, and it can easily be tested for in a variety of products.

Separate performance standards apply to each species and class of product and are listed in the final rule on Pathogen Reduction and HACCP (9 CFR, sections 310.25(b) and 381.94(b)). Products currently covered by performance standards are carcasses of cattle, swine, and broilers; and ground beef, ground chicken, and ground turkey. The pathogen reduction performance standards are based on the prevalence of Salmonella, as determined from FSIS' nationwide microbial baseline surveys. FSIS intends to adjust the standards in the future as new data become available.

The standards are expressed in terms of the maximum number of positive samples that are allowed per sample set (sample sets are statistically determined and range from 51 samples for broilers to 82 samples for steers/heifers). For example, in steers and heifers, 1 out of 82 samples is permitted to be positive. For broilers, 12 out of 51 samples are permitted to be positive. Samples are either positive or negative; the results are not expressed in terms of number of organisms found in a sample.

The results are being used to verify that HACCP systems are effective in controlling contamination with Salmonella. The presence of Salmonella positives above the standard is an indication that the plant's system for controlling contamination is not working, and the plant must take steps to correct the problem.

Progress Report on Salmonella Testing

FSIS is presenting the results of the second year of testing in large meat and poultry plants and the first six months of testing in small meat and poultry plants for which sufficient data are available. "Sufficient" is defined as having completed sample sets of a product category from 10 or more establishments.

Table 1 presents the HACCP compliance results on samples collected from January 26, 1999 through July 30, 1999 for Salmonella in large plants for broilers, swine, and ground beef. In pre-HACCP baseline studies, 20 percent of all young chicken carcasses tested positive for Salmonella while 9.3 percent tested positive during the second year of HACCP implementation. The prevalence of the bacteria in swine was 8.7 percent before HACCP and 2.0 percent in the first six months of the second year. The prevalence in ground beef was 7.5 percent in pre-HACCP baseline studies and 2.6 percent in the second year.

Table 2 presents large plant HACCP Salmonella testing performance. Results indicate that the percent of plants meeting the performance standard was high: 92 percent for broilers and 100 percent for both swine and ground beef. In total, 94 percent of these plants met the standard.

Table 3 presents the HACCP compliance results on samples collected from January 26, 1999 through July 30, 1999 for Salmonella in small plants for broilers and ground beef. Results indicate that the prevalence of Salmonella found in broilers was 13.9 percent compared to the performance standard of 20 percent. In ground beef, the percent testing positive was 3.3 compared to the performance standard of 7.5 percent.

Table 4 presents small plant HACCP Salmonella testing performance. Results indicate that 82 percent of broiler plants and 91 percent of ground beef plants met the standard. In total, 90 percent of these plants met the standard.

Caution should be used in comparing these data because the time periods and the number of plants vary among the testing phases. Nevertheless, summary data indicate a general trend toward lower Salmonella prevalence after HACCP implementation in these plants.

Table 1. Prevalence of Salmonella in meat and poultry products: HACCP compliance results from large plants with completed sample sets.

January 26, 1999, through July 30, 1999*

*Reflects results from products with 10 or more completed sample sets during this time period.
**Corresponds to Salmonella performance standards, 9 CFR §§ 310.25(b) and 381.94(b)

Table 2: Large Plant HACCP Salmonella Testing Performance

January 26, 1999, through July 30, 1999*

*Reflects results from products with 10 or more complete sample sets during this time period.
**9 CFR §§ 310.25(b) and 381.94(b)

Table 3: Prevalence of Salmonella in meat and poultry products: HACCP compliance results from small plants with completed sample sets.

January 26, 1999 through July 30, 1999*

*Reflects results from products with 10 or more complete sample sets during this time period.
**9 CFR §§ 310.25(b) and 381.94(b)

Table 4: Small Plant HACCP Salmonella testing performance

January 26, 1999 through July 30, 1999*

*Reflects results from products with 10 or more complete sample sets during this time period.
**9 CFR §§ 310.25(b) and 381.94(b)

For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-3897
Fax: (202) 720-5704

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