Salmonella Initiative meeting in the US

This meeting, held in Atlanta, was organised by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and was hosted by Pilgrim’s Pride.Participants included broiler and turkey processors, allied industry companies who could be impacted by certain criteria included in the Salmonella Initiative, and representatives from other associations, including the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation, the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, and the Georgia Poultry Federation.

“Central to our discussions were issues pertaining to the potential disruptions of our processing operations, the mandatory termination of previously existing HIMP and OLR waivers, and export trade implications,”said Dr Al Yancy, the association’s vice president of food safety and production programs. “Our goal was to provide a forum in which we could discuss the ramifications of the notice and propose potential industry actions that could be taken in response to those items with which the poultry industry collectively disagrees.”

Much of the meeting centered around finding a consensus on the next steps the poultry industry can take.

“The broiler industry has made substantial gains in reducing Salmonella levels on poultry,” said USPOULTRY President John Starkey. “FSIS needs to work closely with the industry to develop a more science-based approach.”