Salmonella was present in 27% of pre-browned stuffed breaded chicken products sampled at retail in the U.S., according to a nonscientific study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN).
In total, the study found 58 of the 487 samples purchased at retail were positive for the presence of Salmonella. Specifically, whole genome sequencing testing of the Salmonellas found on the products which were positive for Salmonella determined that the Salmonellas detected were Salmonella Enteritidis (31%), Salmonella Infantis (38%), Salmonella Kentucky (26%) and Salmonella Typhimurium (5%).
In the study, FERN’s cooperative agreement laboratories purchased approximately 15 samples of not ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded pre-browned stuffed chicken products per month from nearby retail locations. The study was conducted across 11 U.S. states from July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022.
Can the study be trusted?
While the products used in the study were consumer-facing retail items, it is important to note that more than the poultry portion of each product was tested for Salmonella.
Concerning the study, Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., National Chicken Council (NCC) Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, said: “These products contained a myriad of both FSIS- and FDA-regulated ingredients including chicken, broccoli, cheese, ham, asparagus, apples and spinach, not to mention the breading that coats the outside of these products.”
“The laboratories conducting the study analyzed the entire product and not just the chicken component of the entrée. FSIS is using the results to set a standard on the chicken component of the entrée without taking into consideration the chance that the other non-chicken ingredients may have contained Salmonella.”
Additionally, because the study was non-scientific, FSIS did not direct FERN’s laboratories on the methodologies to use. In the 487 samples collected, 352 were analyzed not using FSIS’s method.
“FSIS should have directed all the laboratories to use the same methodology, Instead, it essentially disregarded the 352 samples and concluded that the overall positivity rate for the products was 27%, which is a result of only looking at the 135 samples that were analyzed following the FSIS method,” stated Peterson.
While the study’s results could be useful in some capacity, the lack of consistency in methodology makes the results of the study near irrelevant to poultry producers.
Salmonella was declared an adulterant
During the time of the study, FSIS officially declared Salmonella as an adulterant in certain types of breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.
The rule is a result of consumer confusion, as frozen breaded and stuffed raw chicken products appear cooked but contain raw poultry. These products have been associated with up to 14 outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses since 1998 in the U.S.
According to the NCC, the most recent outbreak in 2021 was rooted in consumers improperly cooking it to the proper internal temperature of 165 F.
