WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued new food safety procedures for producers of ground chicken and turkey and related products.
Specifically, such companies will have to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans within 90 days to account for recent salmonella outbreaks.
"HACCP reassessments improve a company's ability to identify hazards and better prevent foodborne illness," USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said in a statement. "Incorporating information obtained from salmonella outbreaks will enhance food safety efforts, helping to avoid future outbreaks and ensure a safer food supply for consumers."
The USDA also plans to combat further outbreaks by expanding the salmonella verification sampling program beyond ground products, increasing the sample size for laboratory analysis of products it tests, and testing the prevalence of salmonella in not-ready-to-eat poultry products to create improved performance standards.