Tag Archives: chicken

Cattle

USDA Report Highlights Multi-Year Trends for Salmonella Antimicrobial Resistance

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Cattle

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) has released a report highlighting Salmonella antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends from 2014-2019. The FSIS NARMS Multi-Year Report evaluates trends in Salmonella serotypes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in certain food animal species and products sampled from 2014 through 2019 as part of FSIS NARMS sampling.

The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a national public health surveillance system through which FSIS partners with state and local public health departments, the CDC, and the FDA to track changes in antimicrobial susceptibility of select foodborne bacteria found in ill people, retail meats, and food animals.

Hear from Sandra Eskin, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, on the Proposed Regulatory Framework to Reduce Salmonella Illness at Food Safety Tech’s Hazards Conference, April 3-5 in Ohio.Samples analyzed included cecal (intestinal content) samples from food-producing animals at slaughter and product samples tested as part of Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (PR/HACCP) sampling. Salmonella isolates were analyzed by serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to evaluate differences in sample source and slaughter class (chicken, turkey, cattle, and swine).

FSIS’ key findings indicate that:

  • The proportion of pan-susceptible Salmonella differed among slaughter classes and sample sources (cecal/product samples): cattle (83%/71%), swine (65%/64%), chicken (35%/43%), and turkey (34%/32%).
  • The top Salmonella serotypes for each slaughter class were Kentucky (chicken), Reading (turkey), Montevideo (cattle), and Anatum (swine).
  • Salmonella Infantis showed an increasing trend in chicken and emerged as one of the top serotypes in both cecal and product samples.
  • Salmonella Infantis from both cecal and product samples showed increased multidrug-resistance.
  • Salmonella isolates from chicken cecal and product samples show a significant increase in resistance to the critically important antimicrobial drugs: ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
  • Over time, Salmonella isolates from product samples from cattle and swine showed increased resistance to cephalosporin.

FSIS noted that differences and similarities observed in Salmonella serotypes and their AMR between cecal and product samples highlight the importance of monitoring Salmonella from farm-to-slaughter.

Read the full report here.

 

chicken, beef, dairy, lettuce

Foodborne Illness Report Highlights High-Risk Food Categories

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chicken, beef, dairy, lettuce

This month, the Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration’s (IFSAC) released it newest annual report , “Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for 2020 for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes using multi-year outbreak surveillance data, United States.” IFSAC is a collaboration between the CDC, FDA and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

The report was developed to help shape the priorities of the FDA, inform the creation of targeted interventions to reduce foodborne illnesses caused by these pathogens, inform stakeholders and improve regulatory agency’s to assess whether prevention measures are working.

The report identified 3,749 outbreaks that occurred from 1998 through 2020 and were confirmed or suspected to be caused by Salmonella, E. coli O157, or Listeria, including 192 outbreaks that were confirmed or suspected to be caused by multiple pathogens or serotypes.

The IFSAC excluded 96 of these outbreaks according to its pathogen-exclusion criteria, leaving 3,653 outbreaks. The agency further excluded 1,524 outbreaks without a confirmed or suspected implicated food, 836 outbreaks for which the food vehicle could not be assigned to one of the 17 food categories, and six that occurred in a U.S. territory.

The resulting dataset for the report included 1,287 outbreaks in which the confirmed or suspected implicated food or foods could be assigned to a single food category. These included 960 caused or suspected to be caused by Salmonella, 272 by E. coli O157 and 55 by Listeria. Outbreaks from 2016 through 2020 provide 71% of model-estimated illnesses used to calculate attribution for Salmonella, 67% for E. coli O157 and 62% for Listeria.

Salmonella illnesses came from a wide variety of foods, with more than 75% of illnesses attributed to seven food categories: Chicken, Fruits, Pork, Seeded Vegetables (such as tomatoes), Other Produce (such as fungi, herbs, nuts, and root vegetables), Beef and Turkey.

More than 80% of E. coli O157 illnesses were linked to Vegetable Row Crops (such as leafy greens) and Beef.

More than 75% of Listeria monocytogenes illnesses were linked to Dairy products, Fruits and Vegetable Row Crops, though the IFSAC noted that “the rarity of Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks makes these estimates less reliable than those for other pathogens.”

Attribution estimates for Campylobacter outbreaks were not included in this year’s report, though they have been included in the past. IFSAC said that this was “due to continued concerns about the limitations of using outbreak data to attribute Campylobacter illnesses to sources … these concerns are largely due to the outsized influence of outbreaks in certain foods that pose a high individual risk for Campylobacter infection but do not represent the risk to the general population.” For example, 91% of reported Campylobacter outbreaks related to dairy products were associated with unpasteurized milk, while 57% majority of chicken-related outbreaks were due to chicken liver products, which are not widely consumed.

Milk and eggs

Undeclared Allergens Drive New Recall

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Milk and eggs

Undeclared allergens continue to drive recalls from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Last week, more than 22,000 pounds of frozen beef products were recalled because the products were found to contain milk, which was not declared on the label.

The USDA FSIS announced on September 17 that Valley International Cold Storage Acquisition, LLC, a Harlingen, Texas-based business, is recalling approximately 22,061 pounds of frozen beef products. The frozen products are labeled as Korean-Style Beef, but contain a chicken sausage and pepper product, which contains milk.

These items were produced on July 22, 2022. The following products are subject to recall [view labels]:

  • 9.25-oz. cartons labeled as “Healthy Choice POWER BOWLS Korean-Style Beef” with lot code “5246220320” and a “best if used by” date of 04-18-2023.

The products subject to recall, which were shipped to retail locations nationwide, have establishment number “34622” on the end flap of the carton.

On September 16, the USDA FSIS issued a public health alert for certain raw, ready-to-cook chicken entrée products that may contain egg, which is not declared on the finished product label. The agency noted that a recall was not requested because the products are no longer available for purchase.

The bacon-cheddar chicken entree products were produced on Sept. 9, 2022 and are labeled as [view labels]:

  • 12 oz. plastic wrapped metal containers containing “aprons READY TO COOK MEAL FOR ONE BACON-CHEDDAR SMOTHERED CHICKEN” with a use by date of 9/21/2022.

The products bear establishment number “P-48176” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to Publix locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Consumers with an egg allergy who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Poultry

Q3 Hazard Beat: Poultry and Poultry Products Trends

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Poultry

The following infographic is a snapshot of the hazard trends in poultry and poultry products from Q3 2019. The information has been pulled from the HorizonScan quarterly report, which summarizes recent global adulteration trends using data gathered from more than 120 reliable sources worldwide. Over the next several weeks, Food Safety Tech will provide readers with hazard trends from various food categories included in this report.

Hazard Trend Report, Poultry & Poultry Products
2019 Data from HorizonScan by FeraScience, Ltd.
Tyson Foods

Report: Tyson to Buy Keystone Foods for $2.5 Billion

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Tyson Foods

This morning Reuters is reporting that Tyson Foods is acquiring Keystone Foods, a U.S.-based chicken processor, from Marfrig Global Foods SA for $2.5 billion. Neither Tyson Foods nor the Brazilian meatpacker commented on the report.
According to Reuters, Marfrig’s controlling shareholder Marcos Molina signed the deal Thursday evening.

In June, Tyson acquired organic chicken producer Tecumseh Poultry, LLC, but the terms of this deal were not disclosed.

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Pilgrim’s Pride Recalls More than 101,000 Pounds of RTE Breaded Chicken Patties

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Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. has recalled about 101,310 pounds of its ready-to-eat breaded chicken patties as a result of potential contamination with rubber. The Class I recall involves patties that were produced and packed on September 6, 2017. The issue was discovered following a customer complaint on February 13.

Specifically, the products are 30-lb boxes with five-pound clear bags that contain Gold Kist Farms, Fully Cooked Whole Grain Home-Style Breaded Chicken Patties. Distribution of the product included schools.

An alert issued by the USDA points to equipment failure at a Pilgrim’s Pride facility as the culprit in introducing the foreign material.

Recall

Possible Adulteration, About 2 Million Pounds of RTE Chicken Recalled

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Recall

National Steak and Poultry has recalled about 1,976,089 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products over concerns of bacterial pathogen survival in its products. According to FSIS, the product was adulterated due to “possible undercooking”. The expanded recall (the original recall included more than 17,000 pounds of product) was a result of a food service customer compliant  to an establishment on November 28 that a product appeared to be undercooked. The products of concern were produced from August 20 through November 30, 2016.

FSIS has provided a complete list of the expanded recall products on its website. There have been no reports of adverse events due to consumption of the products, but consumers are being urged to discard or return the items.

USDA Logo

USDA Poultry Standards Could Reduce Illnesses by 50,000 Annually

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The USDA has finalized federal standards to lower the incidence of Salmonella and Campylobacter in ground chicken and poultry (including raw chicken breasts, legs and wings, which comprise about 80% of the chicken that American’s purchase). FSIS updated its microbial testing schedule at poultry facilities and will also start posting food safety performance about companies online.

“This approach to poultry inspection is based on science, supported by strong data, and will truly improve public health,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Al Almanza in an agency press release. “The new performance standards will complement the many other proactive, prevention-based food policies that we’ve put in place in recent years to make America’s supply of meat and poultry safer to eat.”

Intended to achieve at least a 30% reduction in Salmonella illnesses, a pathogen reduction performance standard for chicken parts, ground chicken and ground turkey is being finalized by FSIS. It is doing the same to achieve a 32% reduction in illnesses from Campylobacter in chicken parts and ground chicken. FSIS estimates a low prevalence of Campylobacter in ground turkey and is thus aiming for a 19% reduction.

“Over the past seven years, USDA has put in place tighter and more strategic food safety measures than ever before for meat and poultry products. We have made strides in modernizing every aspect of food safety inspection, from company record keeping, to labeling requirements, to the way we perform testing in our labs,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in the release. “These new standards, in combination with greater transparency about poultry companies’ food safety performance and better testing procedures, will help prevent tens of thousands of foodborne illnesses every year, reaching our Healthy People 2020 goals.”

McDonald’s to Eliminate Antibiotics from Chicken

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The largest fast food chain has committed to serve chicken raised without antibiotics within two years.

McDonald’s – the world’s largest fast food chain – today announced that it is committing to serving chicken raised without antibiotics used in human medicine in all of their U.S. restaurants within two years.

This comes on the heels of new leadership for the company. Steve Easterbrook began as CEO of McDonald’s on Monday, and brings to the role a legacy of healthier food and environmental initiatives within the company’s United Kingdom division.

“We’re listening to our customers,” Marion Gross, senior vice president of McDonald’s North American supply chain, told Reuters. She said the company is working with its domestic chicken suppliers, including Tyson Foods Inc, to make the transition.

Today’s announcement marks a big step forward in protecting the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics for people, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Jonathan Kaplan, director of NRDC’s Food and Agriculture program, says that “by the country’s largest fast food chain committing to working with their suppliers to keep these drugs out of the barns used to raise the chickens for their nuggets, salads and sandwiches, they are setting the bar for the entire fast food industry. (This) may be at a tipping point for better antibiotic stewardship in the poultry industry.”

Whenever an antibiotic is administered, scientists and public health experts worry that it can kill weaker bacteria and enable the strongest to survive and multiply. Frequent use of low-dose antibiotics, a practice used by some meat producers, can intensify that effect. This can support the development of so-called superbugs, who develop cross-resistance to critical, medically important antibiotics. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such superbugs are linked to an estimated 23,000 human deaths and 2 million illnesses every year in the United States, and up to $20 billion in direct healthcare costs.