News

Proposed steps for safer raw poultry

New federal standards to reduce contamination of ground chicken and turkey products and raw chicken breasts, legs and wings have been introduced by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Salmonella and Campylobacter are leading causes of foodborne illness. Cooking poultry products to the proper temperature can kill those germs, but, cross contamination in preparing them can expose people to potential sickness.

The new pathogen reduction standards, which include testing at a point closer to the final product, are designed to reduce Salmonella illnesses by 30 percent and those from Campylobacter by about 20 to 37 percent.

The proposal is open for public comment for 60 days.