December 16, 2022

Coalition Comment Framework Press Release

The Coalition for Poultry Safety Reform provided a comment today to the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on the agency’s Proposed Framework for Controlling Salmonella in Poultry.

The diverse Coalition, made of consumer advocates, scientists, current and former regulators, and poultry industry members, was formed to push FSIS to reform the poultry Salmonella food safety system. Salmonella illness rates have remained at a stable high rate in the United States for over 20 years, indicating that current food safety rules are not working effectively to protect the public.

FSIS released the proposed framework in October, which outlines new measures and regulations that the agency is evaluating to better prevent Salmonella illnesses caused by poultry.

In the comment, the Coalition welcomed USDA’s commitment to meaningful poultry safety reform and emphasized the need for further dialogue with stakeholders as it seeks to further develop the framework.

Members of the Coalition have previously voiced support for shifting away from the agency’s current approach that centers on performance standards that do not effectively target the types of Salmonella contamination that pose the greatest risk of illness. The groups have urged USDA to adopt Salmonella standards for poultry that are objective, risk-based, achievable, enforceable, and flexible enough to adapt to emerging evidence and the latest science.  

The Coalition comment encouraged FSIS to consider the results of risk assessments in developing components of the framework and affirmed that any new standards must be grounded in USDA’s legal authority. The groups emphasized that the agency’s approach to preharvest and processing should follow the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach, which allows industry to experiment and innovate with practices to promote food safety from farm to fork.  

The comment also highlighted the need for FSIS to effectively engage with stakeholders as it continues in the reform process. The Coalition suggested additional means for the agency to have two-way dialogue with stakeholders, both before and after issuing its next regulatory proposal. 

For questions regarding the Coalition’s comment, please reach out to James Kincheloe at jkincheloe@cspinet.org or (202) 777-8316.