The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has withdrawn a proposed rule aimed at reducing Salmonella illnesses linked to raw poultry products.
The withdrawal of the Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products, which was proposed by the Biden administration in August 2024, was posted today in the Federal Register by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
The rule would have defined raw chicken and turkey products containing certain levels of Salmonella (higher than 10 colony forming units per gram) or any detectable amount of the most highly virulent Salmonella serotypes as adulterated and prevented them from being sold. It also would have created a routine sampling and verification program to identify adulterated products and required poultry slaughterhouses to develop, implement, and maintain written procedures to prevent contamination by Salmonella and other enteric pathogens.
Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness, with an estimated 1.35 million infections, 26,200 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FSIS estimates more than 167,000 Salmonella infections annually are linked to chicken and turkey products.
FSIS cites objections to proposed rule
When the rule was proposed last year, FSIS said the aim was to reduce human illness caused by the bacterium. It noted that while the Salmonella verification testing program established in 1996 had been effective in reducing the proportion of poultry products contaminated with Salmonella, there had been no observable impact on human illness rates.
But the Trump administration appears to be taking a different approach to food safety. In March, the administration eliminated the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. The Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, announced a 30-month delay on a rule that would require companies that manufacture, process, pack, and hold food to trace contaminated products through the supply chain.
In its withdrawal notice, FSIS said that while it supports the goal of reducing Salmonella illnesses, its review of more than 7,000 public comments on the proposed rule found several objections. Among the issues raised were FSIS’s legal authority to propose the final product standards, the scientific and technical information used to support the framework, and the potential economic impacts.
“Following a thorough review of public comments, it has been determined that additional consideration is needed,” the USDA’s press office wrote in response to an email from CIDRAP News. “The Biden-era proposal would have imposed significant financial and operational burdens on American businesses and consumers, failing to consider an effective and achievable approach to address Salmonella in poultry products.”
The statement added that FSIS will continue to assess its approach to addressing Salmonella in poultry products “in ways that will yield results that protect American consumers, not just impose regulatory burdens on American producers and consumers.”
The National Chicken Council (NCC), which was among the groups that submitted comments on the proposed rule, praised the move in a statement on its website, saying the framework was legally unsound and would have had 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, robust data, and are demonstrated to meaningfully impact public health,” said Ashley Peterson, PhD, NCC senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs.
Food safety advocates push back
But food safety advocates expressed dismay. Among them was Brian Ronholm, MA, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, which released an analysis earlier this year detailing the high levels of Salmonella contamination found at several US poultry plants.
“The USDA’s decision is disappointing and troubling given the large number of poultry plants that have been found to pose a higher risk of triggering a Salmonella outbreak,” Ronholm said in a statement. “Consumers deserve better safeguards against Salmonella and other threats to our food supply.”
“Make no mistake: Shipping more Salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker,” Sarah Sorscher, JD, MPH, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said in a statement.
