Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 10/22/13

In what may be seen as a coup for the poultry industry, the New York Times ran a 185-word rebuttal Sunday by the National Chicken Council to an Oct. 16 column questioning whether consumers should eat chicken in the wake of an outbreak of salmonellosis linked to Foster Farms.

"While zero tolerance is always the goal, such a level on any raw agricultural product is simply not feasible. Fresh fruit, produce, meat or poultry — organic or not, bought from the grocery store or the farmers’ market — could contain naturally occurring bacteria that might make someone sick if improperly handled or cooked," NCC President Mike Brown wrote in the rebuttal.

In his column, Mark Bittman had suggested that the USDA categorize Salmonella as an adulterant, "which would mean that its very presence on foods would be sufficient to take them off the market. Again, it’s almost as simple as that."

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Brown took exception to the suggestion. "[P]assing a law or regulation to fight bacteria will not magically make it go away," he wrote.