A very low level of Salmonella<\/em> contamination in the products would lead to regulatory action<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n <\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/p>\n MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to toughen regulations on certain raw chicken products.<\/p>\n The agency has notified food processors that new rules would require they lower the amount of Salmonella<\/em> found in breaded and stuffed chicken products, which include frozen foods such as chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kiev. These foods appear to be cooked but are only heat-treated to set their batter or breading. The new rules would declare Salmonella<\/em> an adulterant (i.e., contaminant that can cause foodborne illness).<\/p>\n “Food safety is at the heart of everything FSIS [Food Safety and Inspection Service] does,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an agency news release<\/a>. “That mission will guide us as this important first step launches a broader initiative to reduce Salmonella<\/em> illnesses associated with poultry in the U.S.”<\/p>\n The USDA has standards for poultry processors that are meant to reduce contamination, but there is not an adequate testing system to determine Salmonella<\/em> levels in meat, explained Sandra Eskin, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, according to the Associated Press<\/em>. Chicken would be routinely tested under these changes. A very low level of Salmonella<\/em> contamination in the products would lead to regulatory action that could include closing processing plants.<\/p>\n “This action and our overall Salmonella<\/em> initiative underscore our view that our job is to ensure that consumers don’t get sick from meat and poultry products,” Eskin told the AP<\/em>. “They shouldn’t be sold if they’re contaminated to the degree that people get sick.”<\/p>\n The new rules will be published in the fall in the Federal Register, the AP<\/em> reported, after the FSIS seeks public comment and finalizes the rules.<\/p>\n