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USDA withdraws plan to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry

USDA withdraws plan to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry

New York Post25-04-2025

The Agriculture Department will not require poultry companies to limit salmonella bacteria in their products, halting a Biden Administration effort to prevent food poisoning from contaminated meat.
The department on Thursday said it was withdrawing a rule proposed in August after three years of development. Officials with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service cited feedback from more than 7,000 public comments and said they would 'evaluate whether it should update' current salmonella regulations.
The rule would have required poultry companies to keep levels of salmonella bacteria under a certain threshold and test for the presence of six strains most associated with illness, including three found in turkey and three in chicken. If the levels exceeded the standard or any of those strains were found, the poultry couldn't be sold and would be subject to recall, the proposal had said.
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3 After three years of development, the Agriculture Department said it was withdrawing a rule proposed in August on limiting salmonella bacteria.
manjurul – stock.adobe.com
The plan aimed to reduce an estimated 125,000 salmonella infections from chicken and 43,000 from turkey each year, according to USDA. Overall, salmonella causes 1.35 million infections a year, most through food, and about 420 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The withdrawal drew praise from the National Chicken Council, an industry trade group, which said the proposed rule was legally unsound, misinterpreted science, would have increased costs and create more food waste, all 'with no meaningful impact on public health.'
'We remain committed to further reducing salmonella and fully support food safety regulations and policies that are based on sound science,' said Ashley Peterson, the group's senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs.
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3 The rule would have required poultry companies to keep levels of salmonella bacteria under a certain threshold and test for the presence of six strains most associated with illness, with some found in chicken and turkey.
didesign – stock.adobe.com
But the move drew swift criticism from food safety advocates, including Sandra Eskin, a former USDA official who helped draft the plan.
The withdrawal 'sends the clear message that the Make America Healthy Again initiative does not care about the thousands of people who get sick from preventable foodborne salmonella infections linked to poultry,' Eskin said in a statement.
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The proposed rule had been regarded as a food safety victory similar to a 1994 decision to ban certain strains of dangerous E. coli bacteria from ground beef after deadly outbreaks, said Sarah Sorscher, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
3 'Make no mistake: Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker,' Sarah Sorscher, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said.
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'Make no mistake: Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker,' Sorscher said.
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Earlier this month, the USDA said it would delay by six months the enforcement of a final rule regulating salmonella levels in certain breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. Enforcement, which was set for May 1, now begins Nov. 3.
That covers foods such as frozen chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kiev dishes that appear to be fully cooked but are only heat-treated to set the batter or coating. Such products have been linked to at least 14 salmonella outbreaks and at least 200 illnesses since 1998, according to the CDC.

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US health care is rife with high costs and deep inequities, and that's no accident
US health care is rife with high costs and deep inequities, and that's no accident

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

US health care is rife with high costs and deep inequities, and that's no accident

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What's a Medicaid cut? Senate GOP tiptoes around $800B question
What's a Medicaid cut? Senate GOP tiptoes around $800B question

The Hill

time2 hours ago

  • The Hill

What's a Medicaid cut? Senate GOP tiptoes around $800B question

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Dr. Richard Goldberg: Preventive care and cancer screenings are critical to your health
Dr. Richard Goldberg: Preventive care and cancer screenings are critical to your health

Chicago Tribune

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  • Chicago Tribune

Dr. Richard Goldberg: Preventive care and cancer screenings are critical to your health

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These and other screenings can help catch cancer or even precancerous growths as early as possible. Unfortunately, surveys show that a large number of Americans don't get these tests done, including for reasons of cost. I understand why people might do this, but getting a checkup and talking to your health care provider about what screening tests are appropriate for you is the first step to taking action to improve our health and our lives. Fortunately, there are also some positive trends in oncology to celebrate. Science continues to deliver great promise for the most vulnerable among us: the sick. In spite of some concerning short-term trends, cancer mortality has dropped by one-third since 1991, mainly because of a dramatic decrease in smoking. Life expectancy rose by almost a full year from 2022 to 2023. In my field, recent studies have shown exciting potential for people with confirmed cancers that are called immuno-oncology approaches. 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