A comparison of Salmonella serotype incidence in FSIS-regulated products and salmonellosis cases

Introduction On May 14, 2010, FSIS published a Federal Register notice (FSIS, 2010a) that detailed revised performance standards for Salmonella species on young chicken (broiler) carcasses measured at post-chill. Public comments on the notice asserted that FSIS did not present evidence that reductions of Salmonella incidence on young chicken carcasses at post-chill would offer public health benefits. The comments noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) FoodNet data sets did not correlate to FSIS percentages of positive chicken samples. In response to these and other comments, FSIS published the March 21, 2011 Federal Register notice (FSIS, 2011) using CDC outbreak data and case-control studies as evidence for such a relationship. CDC summarized these data in a Memorandum to the Record (CDC, 2011a) that concluded “Poultry products are an important vehicle for human Salmonella and Campylobacter infections in the United States.”