USDA Withdraws Proposed Rule to Limit Salmonella in Raw Poultry
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Thursday that it is withdrawing a proposed rule that would have required poultry companies to limit the presence of salmonella bacteria in their products, ending an effort by the past Biden administration to reduce foodborne illnesses linked to contaminated meat.
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said the decision follows the review of more than 7,000 public comments submitted in response to the proposed rule, which was published in August 2024.
The department stated it will 'evaluate whether it should update' current salmonella regulations, according to a Thursday
The withdrawn rule would have required poultry companies to keep salmonella bacteria below a specific threshold and test for six strains most associated with it, with three found in turkey and three in chicken. Any products exceeding the standard or containing any of those strains would have been forbidden from sale and subject to recall.
The
FSIS explained that the proposed framework targeted raw chicken carcasses, chicken parts, comminuted chicken, and comminuted turkey products contaminated with certain salmonella levels and serotypes, which would have been classified as adulterated under the Poultry Products Inspection Act, according to the agency's April 24 notice. The agency also proposed stricter monitoring, sampling, and recordkeeping requirements for poultry processors, according to the same notice.
The agency said it received 7,089 comments on the proposal, including feedback from industry trade associations, small and large poultry processors, consumer advocacy groups, academics, and state officials.
Decision to Withdraw
Key issues raised included questions about FSIS's legal authority, the scientific basis for the proposed standards, economic impacts, and the potential burden on small producers, according to the FSIS notice.
'While FSIS continues to support the goal of reducing Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products, the Agency believes that the comments have raised several important issues that warrant further consideration,' FSIS stated in its withdrawal notice.
The decision to withdraw the rule was welcomed by the National Chicken Council, an industry trade group. 'We remain committed to further reducing Salmonella and fully support food safety regulations and policies that are based on sound science, robust data, and are demonstrated to meaningfully impact public health,' said Ashley Peterson, the council's senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, according to the group's
Peterson criticized the proposed framework as 'legally unsound,' based on 'misinterpretations of the science,' and likely to have 'no meaningful impact on public health.'
She added that it would have led to 'an extraordinary amount of food waste' and higher costs for producers and consumers, according to the National Chicken Council.
'We appreciate today's announcement by FSIS and share their goal of protecting public health,' Peterson said, adding that the council looks forward to working with the agency on future policy.
Sandra Eskin, a former USDA official who helped draft the plan, said 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,' according to the Associated Press.
Sarah Sorscher of the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the proposed rule to the 1994 ban on certain E. coli strains in ground beef, calling it a missed opportunity for a significant food safety victory. 'Make no mistake: Shipping more salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker,' Sorscher said, according to the Associated Press.
Earlier this month, the USDA
From NTD News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Millions of Eggs Were Just Recalled due to Connection With Salmonella Outbreak—Here's What to Know
Millions of Eggs Were Just Recalled due to Connection With Salmonella Outbreak—Here's What to Know originally appeared on Parade. As far as crisis PR goes, eggs are having the worst 2025 so far, and they might want to consider new representation. The humble, complete protein, versatile kitchen ingredient, and inspiration behind puns aplenty has been marred with bombshell reports of record price hikes, bird flu contamination, and shortages, causing consumers to search for alternatives to the eggcellent breakfast staple. What seemed to be a minor blip in the food supply chain has since ballooned to a full-scale catastrophe of epic proportions, and things don't seem to be getting any the fact that reporting has all but halted, the bird flu is still running rampant, and although the exorbitant prices have started to level, it's still a good idea to consider that you might have picked up a carton of bad eggs as opposed to good ones. We'd hate to see you end up with egg on your face—or worse. Not to egg things on, but the latest blind item might make you reconsider making that frittata for breakfast altogether or even swear off eggs for if they needed any more salacious gossip to hide from, the latest word on the street is that eggs sold at Walmart, Safeway, and several other stores were just recalled due to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened dozens of people across seven states and put 21 people in the hospital. Talk about being a rotten egg. On June 6, the August Egg Company of Hilmar, California, issued a voluntary recall of 1.7 million dozen eggs produced at its facilities after discovering that the eggs were potentially contaminated with salmonella. The affected eggs were distributed between February and May to Walmart, SaveMart, FoodMaxx, Lucky, Smart & Final, Safeway, Raley's, Food 4 Less, and Ralph's. So far, the only confirmed cases are spread across seven states, including Arizona, California, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, and Washington. Of the states, California has the highest number of cases at 63, while the remaining states all have four cases each. It's worth noting that some people's Salmonella symptoms resolve without the need to contact a medical professional at all, so the actual number of cases could be even higher. You can find the full list of recalled items here, along with photos of their cartons, and if you happen to have purchased any of the impacted products, it's recommended that you discard them immediately. We've never done it before, but we think we'll skip egg day for of Eggs Were Just Recalled due to Connection With Salmonella Outbreak—Here's What to Know first appeared on Parade on Jun 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
California scientists sound alarm on role of pesticides in raising resistance to antifungal drugs
The proliferation of new fungicides in the U.S. agricultural sector may be raising resistance to critical antifungal medications in humans and animals, infectious disease experts are warning. Although antifungal pesticides have become vital to combatting the spread of crop disease, the ongoing development of new such fungicides may be leaving people more vulnerable to severe infections, according to new commentary published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 'Antimicrobial resistant pathogens are a constant reminder for us to use agents judiciously,' lead author George Thompson, a professor of medicine at the University of California, Davis, said in a statement. 'We have learned that the widespread use of antibiotics for livestock resulted in the rapid development of resistance to antibacterials,' Thompson continued. 'We have similar concerns regarding the use of antifungals in the environment.' In the past few decades, fungi that cause severe infections in humans — such as the difficult-to-treat Candida auris — have undergone a rapid increase, the scientists noted. Yet because there are relatively few antifungals available to eradicate such microbes from the body, Thompson stressed that 'preventing resistance is of paramount importance.' In the U.S. today, the researchers found that there are about 75,000 hospitalizations and 9 million outpatient visits linked to fungal diseases every year, with direct annual costs amount to $6.7 billion to $7.5 billion. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that fungi cause between 10 percent to 20 percent of crop loss, at a cost of $100 billion to $200 billion annually, according to the report. However, scientists have now become increasingly aware that antifungal pesticides and antifungal drugs share some of the same mechanisms. The authors therefore warned that the promulgation of these chemicals 'may select for resistant fungi in the environment, which can then endanger human health.' The development of antifungal medications, meanwhile, is a difficult task due to the metabolic similarities shared by human and fungal cells, as well as the surge in antifungal resistance, the authors explained. Tackling this problem, they contended, requires what's known as a 'One Health' approach — a state that recognizes how human, animal and environmental health are all related. As scientists research future solutions, having representatives from each of these sectors in the room will be increasingly critical, the commentary argued. Shared decision-making among national and global regulators, the researchers added, would both be cost-effective and would help avoid the 'riskier prospects of the rapid spread of resistant pathogens.'
Wall Street Journal
6 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
U.S., State Health Officials Probe Salmonella Cases Related to Eggs
Health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to eggs from August Egg Co. and sold under several brands. As of June 5, 79 people had been reported infected with the outbreak strain, with at least 21 hospitalizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
