The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed sweeping changes in the way chicken and turkey meat is processed that are intended to reduce illnesses from food contamination
As it stands, consumers bear much of the responsibility for avoiding illness from raw poultry by handling it carefully in the kitchen - following the usual advice to not wash raw chicken or turkey , using separate utensils when preparing meat and cooking to 165 degrees.
In 1994, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service took a similar step by declaring some strains of E. coli a contaminant in ground beef and launching a testing program for the pathogen that has significantly reduced illnesses from the meat. A third major change would be to establish a maximum level of bacterial contamination allowed and possibly limiting the three specific types of salmonella that can make people sick. Meat that would exceed the limits or that would contain the types of salmonella prohibited could be withheld from the market.
"We know this is quite a pivot from where the agency has been historically and for that reason we're trying to be as transparent and deliberative and collaborative as possible," Eskin said. "What they've outlined is something that's really unique that they have not ever done before but it doesn't have a time line and doesn't have regulations attached that would show it's actually going to be accomplished. That's my criticism," he said.
The North American Meat Institute, the trade association representing U.S. packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey said efforts to combat salmonella are a high priority.
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