FSIS postpones Salmonella verification sampling for NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products
This delay also extends the deadline for establishments to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans for these products to coincide with the new November date.
USA – U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) recently announced that it is delaying the date planned for Salmonella verification sampling for not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded stuffed chicken products from May 1 to November 3, 2025.
This delay also extends the deadline for establishments to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans for these products to coincide with the new November date.
Leading to this mission, the FSIS had published a final determination in the Federal Register on May 1, 2024, declaring that NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products containing Salmonella at levels of 1 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram or higher, are adulterated under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 453(g)(1) and (3)) (89 FR 35033).
This was prompted by a state public health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the FSIS investigation of a multistate outbreak of Salmonella illnesses linked to NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products.
The findings, along with other studies, highlighted NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products as a recurring source of Salmonella risk.
They defined NRTE breaded stuffed chicken products as those products that are both breaded and stuffed, contain raw chicken components (e.g., comminuted chicken breast meat, trim, skin, or whole chicken breast meat), and where the finished product is heat-treated only to set the batter or breading on the exterior of the product.
Rationale for implementation delay
According to FSIS, this delay in finalizing its sampling program and attendant guidance, resulting in an incomplete process, is attributed to competing priorities at the end of the previous administration.
This extended time will allow the FSIS to finalize its instructions to inspectors and prepare its inspection program personnel (IPP) and laboratories for the new sampling and testing. They will additionally get more time to provide the industry with guidance on holding and controlling products pending FSIS’ sampling results.
FSIS laboratories will likewise need to update their methods for this new testing.
Before FSIS begins verification sampling, the Agency will announce in its newsletter, the Constituent Update, information about the methods it will use for qualitative and quantitative analyses for Salmonella in NRTE breaded stuffed chicken.
Although not required, some establishments may voluntarily choose to do their own sampling of NRTE breaded stuffed chicken for Salmonella using FSIS’ methods. This additional time will therefore allow the industry to prepare for or develop its own testing, if it wishes to do so.
Moreover, with the resultant increased workload, FSIS laboratories will require additional time, as lab readiness is essential to maintaining the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of test results, which are critical for ensuring food safety and protecting public health.
Finally, this delay will provide time for new leadership appointed after January 20, 2025, to review and provide policy input on the Agency’s sampling program and guidance documents for this product.
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