Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 7/1/11

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will implement new performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter for young chicken and turkey chilled carcasses at slaughter establishments, beginning with verification sample sets that begin on or after July 1, 2011, the agency said in a news release.
The number of samples collected for young chicken and turkey verification sets will remain the same, but each sample collected in a set will be analyzed for both pathogens.

Establishments will pass the updated Salmonella standards 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 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.

The agency announced it would set new performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in young chicken and turkey chilled carcasses in May 2010. In a follow-up notice in the Federal Register in March 2011, FSIS said the standards would be implemented in July.

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