The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just announced that it is withdrawing a proposed rule on such agreements. This rule was meant to lower Salmonella in raw poultry products to acceptable levels. Today’s decision is a significant victory in the battle against harmful Salmonella-related foodborne illnesses. Each year Salmonella is responsible for an estimated 1.35 million infections in the United States alone.
Salmonella bacteria are the number one cause of foodborne illnesses, usually passed to people through contaminated food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more comprehensive information about Salmonella. They shed light on its everyday occurrence and emphasize the need for everyone to practice food safety. Specifically, last year the Biden administration announced a long-awaited proposed rule. Essentially, this rule intends to set new safety standards so that raw chicken and chicken parts with harmful levels or types of Salmonella are never sold.
Sandra Eskin, now the CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness, was instrumental in crafting that proposal. She tweeted her dismay when the USDA announced its intention to withdraw it. She views this retreat as a major blunder that would pretty substantially stop cold or push back years and years some important food safety reforms.
“The bottom line is that thousands of people every year get Salmonella infections from poultry products, some life-threatening or worse,” – Sandra Eskin
The withdrawal comes against the backdrop of sharply divided opinion on the proposed rule. The Trump administration, for its part, had made the case against that rule. They argued that it would impose hefty new financial and operational hurdles on American businesses and consumers. The National Chicken Council vigorously supports effective, cost-justified food safety regulations founded on sound science and robust data. They are concerned about unintended consequences to the proposal’s potential effects on the industry.
“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,” – National Chicken Council
The USDA’s decision represents the mother of all pauses in regulatory action. Advocates such as Eskin point out that it is long-past time to address the continuing public health crisis resulting from Salmonella infections—mostly from poultry products. Food industry stakeholders and public health advocates have all been anxiously awaiting these updates. They want clarity from the USDA about how it will tackle this urgent matter going forward.