Health officials have warned Americans about the risks of contracting deadly food poisoning from frozen chicken products, such as kievs, tenders and nuggets.
In a recently released memo, the USDA announced plans to reduce the number of salmonella-infected chicken products on grocery store shelves, following recent outbreaks in at least 36 states.
Salmonella is one of the most common forms of food poisoning in the United States, hospitalizing about 26,000 Americans each year. It is usually related to undercooked meat, poultry and eggs.
There have been 14 outbreaks of the disease in several states linked solely to chicken products since 1998, sickening a total of at least 200 people, including one in 2021.
The USDA plans to tighten rules on salmonella contamination in chicken to reduce cases of the disease (file image)
Officials say more than 1.3 million Americans get sick from salmonella each year, while 420 die from the infections.
Salmonella, which lives in chicken intestines, can easily be transferred to cuts such as thighs and breasts during processing.
It may then survive if the meat is not cooked to 165°F (74°C) before eating. This is usually the case with breaded products, which are only slightly heated to set the dough.
People who eat meat contaminated with salmonella can get sick because the microbe can survive stomach acid and then trigger an infection in the intestines.
Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever.
However, in more severe cases, the disease can progress to dehydration (due to fluid loss) and sepsis if the germ enters the bloodstream.
Infections can be fatal if they trigger endocarditis (or inflammation of the lining of the heart) or meningitis, inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Current rules allow up to 10 percent of chicken products tested to contain salmonella, according to the USDA. Salmonella is supposed to disappear when the meat is cooked.
But under revised guidelines currently being considered, the microbe would be declared an “adulterant,” or a contaminant that could cause foodborne illness.
This would move the “safe” threshold from percentages of the flock to the amount of the insect in each gram of chicken.
Less than one colony-forming unit of salmonella would be allowed per gram of chicken before stuffing and breading.
Products that violate the rule, which takes effect in 2025, would not be allowed on store shelves and any containing too much salmonella would be subject to a recall.
The USDA says this is an important step toward meeting its goal of reducing domestically acquired salmonella infections by 25 percent by 2030.
But the National Chicken Council, which represents manufacturers, has criticized it because it risks closing plants, costing jobs and raising the price of chicken.
He added in a statement: ‘[This could] get safe foods and convenient products off shelves, without affecting public health.’
Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, applauded the decision, saying: ‘Salmonella contamination in poultry sickens hundreds of thousands of Americans each year.
‘The new USDA rule on salmonella in breaded and raw chicken products is a historic step forward in the effort to reduce rates of salmonella illness.
“This rule should represent just the beginning and will hopefully lead to additional efforts to address Salmonella contamination in other poultry products.”
One of the latest outbreaks was recorded in 2021, when breaded chicken was linked to at least three dozen illnesses in 11 states. Twelve people were also hospitalized.
Most cases occurred in Illinois, but infections have been reported across the country, including in New York, Connecticut, Minnesota and as far away as Arizona and Nevada.