INDIVIDUAL ESTABLISHMENTS: Individual Salmonella Categorization for Young Chicken and Turkey Carcasses; see this page for more information

• Dataset of Most Recent Monthly Posting
  • Jan 8, 2017—Mar 31, 2018 (Excel) | PDF

• Related to this report
  
• On Jan. 16, 2018, FSIS hosted a webinar about posting of individual Salmonella category status for poultry carcass establishments.

AGGREGATE DATA: Aggregate Salmonella and Campylobacter Categorization for Young Chicken and Turkey Carcasses, Raw Chicken Parts, and NRTE Comminuted Poultry Establishments (Jan 8, 2017 through Mar 31, 2018) 

• Dataset of Most Recent Monthly Posting
  • Jan 8, 2017–Mar 31, 2018 (Excel) | PDF
    
• Datasets of Previous Monthly Postings
  • Dec 4, 2016–Feb 24, 2018 (Excel) | PDF
  • Nov 6, 2016–Jan 27, 2018 (Excel) | PDF (Note: Files updated on 3/7/18. A pound sign(#) indicates an update to correct the category status of an establishment. A sample was determined to be ineligible because it was not taken at the chiller after the last intervention step prior to cut up as instructed in FSIS Directive 10250.1.)
  • Oct 9, 2016–Dec 30, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Sep 4, 2016–Nov 25, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Aug 7, 2016–Oct 28, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Jul 3, 2016–Sep 30, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Jun 5, 2016–Aug 26, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • May 8, 2016–Jul 29, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Apr 3, 2016–Jun 24, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Mar 6, 2016–May 27, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Feb 7, 2016–Apr 29, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Jan 10, 2016–Mar 25, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Dec 6, 2015–Feb 25, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Nov 8, 2015–Jan 28, 2017 (Excel) | PDF
  • Oct 4, 2015–Dec 31, 2016 (Excel) | PDF

About the Monthly Reports Posting

Salmonella and Campylobacter Verification Testing Program

Performance Categorizations

Example: Moving from Category 3 to Category 1

About the Monthly Reports Posting

FSIS posts the monthly reports on the Performance Category of Individual Young Chicken Carcass and Young Turkey Carcass Establishments and the Aggregate Salmonella and Campylobacter Categorization for Young Chicken and Turkey Carcasses, Raw Chicken Parts, and NRTE Comminuted Poultry Establishment on or about the 20^th of the month. For the posting each month in Calendar Year 2018, the reference period for category assessment is:

Salmonella and Campylobacter Verification Testing Program

FSIS continuously samples (up to five times per month) poultry establishments producing young chicken and turkey carcasses, and raw chicken parts, so that it can more closely monitor an establishment's process control over time.

FSIS uses these Salmonella and Campylobacter sampling results to assess establishment performance during a reference period of 13 completed 52-week moving windows based on a 3-category system. Establishments at or below half of the performance standard over the previous 13 moving windows are placed in Category 1, those that meet the standard in that period are placed in Category 2, and those that fail the standard in any of the 13 moving windows are placed in Category 3.

FSIS also continuously samples NRTE comminuted chicken and turkey products for Salmonella and Campylobacter, withCampylobacter results in comminuted poultry products determined on a pass or fail basis.

Performance Categorizations

As FSIS announced in the Feb. 11, 2016 Federal Register, establishments producing carcasses subject to FSIS sampling and testing category determinations are based on a minimum number of Salmonella and Campylobacter sample results being available from a 52-week moving window, with the first window for poultry carcasses having begun on May 3, 2015. The 52-week moving window for raw chicken parts and comminuted poultry began the week of June 26, 2016. As the Federal Register outlines, the category definitions under verification sampling are as follows:

• Category 1. Consistent Process Control: Establishments that have achieved 50 percent or less of the Salmonella or Campylobacter maximum allowable percent positive during all completed 52-week moving windows over the last 3 months.
• Category 2. Variable Process Control: Establishments that meet the Salmonella or Campylobacter maximum allowable percent positive for all completed 52-week moving windows but have results greater than 50 percent of the maximum allowable percent positive during any completed 52-week moving window over the last 3 months.
• Category 3. Highly Variable Process Control: Establishments that have exceeded the Salmonella or Campylobacter maximum allowable percent positive during any completed 52-week moving window over the last 3 months.
• Passing. Establishments that meet the Campylobacter maximum allowable percent positive for NRTE comminuted chicken or turkey during all completed 52-week moving windows over the last 3 months.
• Failing. Establishments that have exceeded the Campylobacter maximum allowable percent positive for NRTE comminuted chicken or turkey during any completed 52-week moving window over the last 3 months.

Individual windows are defined as 52 consecutive Sunday-to-Saturday weeks. Category status is determined based on 64 weeks of data, i.e., the last 13 completed 52-week moving windows, with the last window included in the current posting ending on the last Saturday of the previous month.

Sampling results used in the monthly establishment category assignments are extracted from the FSIS data systems on approximately the 11th of the current month to allow at least 10 days of lab processing time for samples taken before the close of the last moving window to be included. For demonstration, data extracted on January 11, 2018 for the January web posting included completed moving windows of samples taken through December 30, 2017.

Example: Moving from Category 3 to Category 1

When an establishment enters Category 3 status for a window, the duration for which it remains evaluated as Category 3 depends on when the positives occurred and the occurrence of positives in subsequent windows. In this scenario, this example establishment had one positive each from Week 1 through Week 5 and then another positive in Week 52 of Window 1 for a total of six positives, which placed it in a Category 3 status for that window. With no new positives in weeks after Week 52, the total number of positives was reduced by one for each window from Window 2 through Window 6, such that by Window 6 and onward there were a total of one positive for each window. The status for Window 2 was Category 2 and by Window 5 the status for that window was Category 1. From Window 6 through Window 17, the status for each window was Category 1.

Since establishments are evaluated based on the worst category status of 13 individual moving windows, an evaluation using Window 1 through Window 13 would mean that this establishment had a Category 3 status. The worst category status for these 13 moving windows was in Window 1, which had a Category 3 status. Similarly, an evaluation using Window 2 through Window 14 would mean that this establishment had a Category 2 status, which was the worst category status of the 13 moving windows from Windows 2, 3 and 4. When an evaluation is done using Window 5 through Window 17, the establishment has a Category 1 status because each of the 13 moving windows had a Category 1 status.

In this example, the establishment entered Category 3 status and 13 weeks later, with effective corrective actions and no new positives, the establishment reached Category 2 for the 13 moving windows evaluation. Then, after 3 weeks in Category 2 status, the establishment reached Category 1 status for the 13 moving windows evaluation.

51 samples in every window. Effective corrective actions control the hazard after 5 consecutive positives; additional positive in week 52 crosses Category 3 threshold. 13 weeks in Category 3 before reaching Category 2. 3 weeks in Category 2 before reaching Category 1. KEY: Pink window is Category 3 Yellow windows are Category 2 Green windows are Category 1