USDA Finalizes Policy to Protect Consumers from Salmonella in Raw Breaded Stuffed Chicken Products

Today, FSIS announced its final determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products when they exceed a specific threshold (1 CFU per gram or higher) for Salmonella contamination.

This final determination is part of FSIS’ broader efforts to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with the raw poultry supply in the United States. FSIS intends to address Salmonella contamination in other raw poultry products later this year.

Under this determination, FSIS will consider to be adulterated any raw breaded stuffed chicken products that include a chicken component that tested positive for Salmonella at 1 CFU per gram or higher. 

FSIS will carry out verification procedures, including sampling and testing of the raw incoming chicken component of these products prior to stuffing and breading, to ensure producing establishments control Salmonella in these products. If the chicken component in these products does not meet this standard, the product lot represented by the sampled component would not be permitted to be used to produce raw breaded stuffed chicken products. The determination, including FSIS’ sampling and verification testing, will be effective 12 months after its publication in the Federal Register. 

FSIS and its public health partners have investigated 14 Salmonella outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses associated with these products since 1998. The most recent outbreak was in 2021 and resulted in illnesses across 11 states. These products account for less than 0.15% of the total domestic chicken supply, but outbreaks linked to these products represented approximately 5% of all chicken-associated outbreaks in the U.S. during 1998-2020. 

To view the final determination, visit the FSIS’ Federal Register Rules webpage.

For more details, view the full press release on the USDA website.

Hong Kong to Require Eligible Establishment List

Starting on July 1, 2024, Hong Kong will require that a list of U.S. certified establishments exporting raw meat and poultry products to Hong Kong be submitted by FSIS. 

All establishments that are either on the China eligible establishment lists for beef, pork, and poultry, or the Mexico eligible establishment list for sheep, approved as of April 26, 2024, will automatically be listed in the FSIS certified eligible establishment list for Hong Kong.

All establishments that want to be eligible to export to Hong Kong and are not currently on the species-specific China or Mexico eligible establishment lists are required to submit a new 9080-3 application by May 24, 2024, through FSIS’ Public Health Information System (PHIS) to be considered by FSIS for the July 1, 2024, certified listing date. Hong Kong has not provided FSIS with its requirements for accepting new U.S. certified establishment lists after July 1, 2024. FSIS will provide updates once it has received this information.

In preparation for the new requirement taking effect, Hong Kong eligible establishments listed on the approved species-specific China and Mexico lists are strongly encouraged to ensure that establishment information in the certified lists, as documented in the export library linked above, is identical to establishment information in PHIS and the establishment’s grant of inspection. Establishments with incorrect information in the China/Mexico certified lists should submit a new 9080-3 application for Hong Kong through PHIS by May 24, 2024, to be correct in the July 1, 2024, FSIS certified listing.

Questions may be directed to FSIS’ Office of International Coordination at internationalcoordination@usda.gov. Technical questions may be sent to PHISTechnicalQA@usda.gov.

FSIS Posts Quarterly Sampling Data

FSIS has updated the following quarterly sampling data sets:

• Quarterly Sampling Results – The quarterly sampling reports were updated to include results through the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2024. Quarterly, FSIS calculates prevalence, volume weighted percent positive, or percent positive calculations for microbial pathogens in FSIS regulated products that are currently sampled through existing sampling projects using the prior 12 months of sampling data. This posting includes sampling results for raw beef, raw pork, raw chicken, raw turkey, processed eggs, and ready-to-eat products.
• Quarterly Sampling Reports on Antimicrobial Resistance Profile – The quarterly sampling reports for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Profile data were updated to include results through the first quarter of FY 2024. This data release includes the sampling projects and pathogens reported under the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). It also includes the antimicrobial resistance data on pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus, and Escherichia coli isolate counts and resistance profile by FSIS cecal project. FSIS is reevaluating the frequency of its product sampling AMR reports and will provide an update in a subsequent Constituent Update.
• Quarterly Sampling Reports for Salmonella Serotype Information – The quarterly sampling reports for Salmonella serotype information were updated to include results through the first quarter of FY 2024. This post includes quarterly Salmonella serotype data for Salmonella isolates collected from FSIS product categories.

Due to a delay in residue reporting, FSIS will update the following quarterly sampling data set on May 3, 2024:

• Quarterly U.S. National Residue Sampling Report – Residue sampling data is available for the second quarter of FY 2024. The report covers domestic (scheduled and inspector-generated) and import sampling programs.

Upcoming Events

• Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated Products with U.S.-Origin Claims: April 30: 1:00-2:15 p.m. ET; May 15, 1:00-2:15 p.m. ET.

Available for Public Comment

FSIS seeks public comments on proposed rules and notices, which are viewable on the FSIS Federal Register & Rulemaking webpage. FSIS is currently seeking comments on the following:

• Until May 17, 2024: Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated Products with U.S.-Origin Claims
• Until May 31, 2024: Availability of Revised Guideline for Controlling Retained Water in Raw Meat and Poultry
• Until June 3, 2024: Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Voluntary Recalls of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
• Until June 17, 2024: Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Animal Disposition Reporting
• Until June 17, 2024: Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Consumer Complaint Monitoring System
• Until June 24, 2024: Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Requirements to Notify FSIS of Adulterated or Misbranded Product, Prepare and Maintain Written Recall Procedures, and Document Certain HACCP Plan Reassessments

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy update was recently issued:

FSIS Notice 14-24 - Availability of FSIS Guideline for Training Establishment Carcass Sorters in the New Poultry Inspection System

Export Requirements Update

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:

• Hong Kong
• Cuba
• Azerbaijan
• India
• Mexico
• Jamaica
• French Polynesia (Tahiti)
• Peru
• European Union
• New Zealand
• Canada
• Kazakhstan
• North Macedonia
• Kuwait
• Ukraine
• Colombia
• Honduras
• Japan
• Korea
• Turkey
• Singapore
• China

Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.