Processed foods are not permitted to contain any Salmonella cells. Salmonella is responsible for a major portion of the cases of gastroenteritis each year in the United States. Salmonellae are widespread in nature. They are commonly found in the intestinal tract of mammals, birds and reptiles. Pork and beef are often found to harbor salmonellae.
Poultry continues to be one of the primary reservoirs of the organism.
Any raw poultry product should be assumed to contain salmonellae and therefore must be handled appropriately. Eggs are contaminated with salmonellae when laid. Pasteurization of the egg is designed to inactivate the organism, though one should not casually assume eggs are then necessarily free of it. In recent years, there have been numerous outbreaks of gastroenteritis credited to Salmonella -contaminated eggs. Taxonomically, the species concept has been applied with difficulty to members of this genus.