07.07.2011

New Performance Standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in Chilled Carcasses at Young Chicken and Turkey Slaughter Establishments has been issued by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The new standards apply to verification sample sets that begin on or after July 1, according to the American Meat Institute.
Although the number of samples collected for young chicken and turkey verification sets will remain the same, each sample collected in a set will now be analyzed for both Salmonella and Campylobacter.
If FSIS finds no more than five positive samples in a 51-sample set for young chickens and no more than four positive samples in a 56-sample set for turkeys, establishments will pass the updated Salmonella standards. Establishments will pass the new Campylobacter standards if FSIS finds no more than eight positive samples in a 51-sample set for young chickens and no more than three positive samples in a 56-sample set for turkeys.
However, if FSIS finds more than the acceptable number of samples positive for passing either of the standards at an establishment, FSIS will collect a follow-up sample set and will analyze those samples for both organisms. To implement the new standards for Campylobacter, FSIS will move all young chicken and turkey slaughter establishments to the highest priority for scheduling sample sets.