The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today proposed new rules that would support a strategy for cutting Salmonella contamination in poultry products to reduce foodborne illnesses.

In a nutshell, the USDA is exploring whether certain levels or types of Salmonella in raw poultry products pose enough of a risk to be considered adulterants. In August, the USDA's FSIS announced that it would declare Salmonella an adulterant in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products, which have been linked to as many as 14 foodborne illness outbreaks since 2018.

300,000 poultry-linked infections a year

Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections each year, along with 26,500 hospitalizations, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Among overall Salmonella illnesses, more than 23%—or about 300,000—are linked to poultry consumption. Over the past several years, for example, several multistate outbreaks have been tied to breaded raw chicken products and ground turkey.

The USDA puts the total cost of the foodborne Salmonella infections at $4.1 billion annually, with a $88 million loss of productivity to the economy.