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Release No. 0127.03

 Steven Cohen (202) 720-9113

**USDA DATA SHOW INCIDENCE OF *SALMONELLA***

**REDUCED IN RAW MEAT AND POULTRY**

 

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2003- Data released today by USDA's Food Safety
and Inspection Service (FSIS) show that overall, the regulatory sampling
prevalence of *Salmonella* in raw meat and poultry continues to
decrease.

 

In calendar year 2002, FSIS took 58,085 *Salmonella* samples compared to
45,941 in 2001, a 26.4 percent increase in the number of samples taken.
However, the percentage of samples testing positive for *Salmonella*
across all commodities dropped from 5.0 percent to 4.3 percent. For
steer/heifer carcasses, FSIS found 14 positive samples out of 4,572, a
positive rate of 0.3 percent. Also, positive Salmonella samples from
very small broiler plants showed the greatest decrease, from 37.2
percent in 2001 to 8.4 percent in 2002.

"These data tell us that we are making steady and sustained progress in
reducing the incidence of *Salmonella* in raw meat and poultry
products," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elsa Murano.
"This positive trend in regulatory samples will hopefully translate into
fewer cases of *Salmonellosis* due to meat and poultry."

FSIS collects and analyzes regulatory *Salmonella* samples in seven
categories: broilers; market hogs; cows/bulls; steer/heifer; ground
beef; ground chicken; and ground turkey. In every category, *Salmonella*
prevalence levels continue to register well below baselines set prior to
the implementation of the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Points (PR/HACCP) system. Six of the seven categories
showed improvement between 2001 and 2002, with only ground chicken
showing an increase in positive test results.

 

Regulatory sampling prevalence of *Salmonella* for the years 1998-2002
as compared to the performance standard established in the PR/HACCP rule
are as follows: broilers, 10.9 percent compared to a standard of 20
percent; market hogs, 4.7 percent compared to a standard of 8.7 percent;
cows/bulls, 2 percent compared to a standard of 2.7 percent;
steer/heifer, 0.4 percent compared to a standard of 1 percent; ground
beef, 3.2 percent compared to a standard of 7.5 percent; ground chicken,
19.8 percent compared to a standard of 44.6 percent; and ground turkey,
26.6 percent compared to a standard of 49.9 percent.

USDA continues to strengthen its food safety programs to ensure safe and
wholesome meat, poultry and egg products. On Jan. 23, Secretary Veneman
announced that President Bush would seek record-level support for USDA's
meat and poultry food safety programs as well as increase efforts to
strengthen agricultural protection systems in his FY 2004 budget.

-more-

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 USDA's food safety budget will increase to \$797 million, an increase
of \$42 million over the FY2003 request, which represents a \$148
million increase in food safety programs since FY2000. The FY 2004
request will fund 7,680 food safety inspectors, provide intensified
training for the inspection workforce, increase microbiological testing
and sampling, strengthen foreign surveillance programs and increase
public education efforts.

Information on food safety can be found at
[www.fsis.usda.gov](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/). Details of the new
report can be found at
<http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ophs/haccp/salm5year.pdf>.

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