The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) wants to collaborate with veterinary biologic manufacturers on Salmonella vaccines for poultry.
“FSIS is interested in learning about and engaging in discussions with veterinary biologics manufacturers on vaccination technologies, especially modified-live vaccines targeting FSIS’ proposed serotypes of public health concern or their associated serogroups,” the agency wrote in a notice.
Vaccination is the only intervention that targets specific Salmonella serotypes, which makes it a central part of the USDA Salmonella control program.
Salmonella in the spotlight
The USDA notice is the latest move by the agency to develop better preharvest approaches to Salmonella control in the poultry industry.
In October 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) proposed framework to reduce Salmonella that indirectly expands the department’s regulatory control, with a focus on “encouraging preharvest controls to reduce Salmonella contamination coming into the slaughterhouse.”
USDA FSIS further introduced additional proposed guidance on Salmonella in 2024 that had a direct impact on the commercial poultry industry. In April, the agency declared Salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products when they exceed a specific threshold (1 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram or higher) for Salmonella contamination.
This guidance was followed by long-anticipated Salmonella framework initiating a 60-day commentary period in July. The newest proposal establishes product standards that prevent chicken and turkey products containing Salmonella at or above 10 CFU per gram/ml from entering commerce. In addition, the proposed guidance identified Enteritidis, Typhimurium and I,4,[5],12:I:- in chicken and Hadar, Typhimurium and Muenchen in turkey as serotypes of public health significance that were banned.
Poultry processing facilities are also required to develop microbial monitoring programs to prevent pathogen contamination as a result of the proposed guidance.
What’s next for Salmonella control?
To learn more about the challenges and potential solutions for better Salmonella control in the broiler and turkey industries, attend the Poultry Future Panel Discussion: What’s next for Salmonella control in broilers and turkeys?
The panel discussion takes place Wednesday, January 29th from 8-9 a.m. EST at the Georgia World Congress Center during IPPE 2025.
Registration is FREE. For more information, go to https://www.wattglobalmedia.com/events/poultry-future-events/.
