Report Raises Concerns About Salmonella in Poultry Products

By Andi Anderson

A recent report has raised new concerns about salmonella contamination in U.S. poultry products, showing that major brands often sell meat that contains the harmful bacteria.

The findings come from an analysis of inspection data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which recently withdrew a proposal that would have strengthened its ability to enforce food safety rules.

Farm Forward Executive Director Andrew DeCoriolis noted that the results were more troubling than expected. “When I read it, I was like, ‘Oh, this is much scarier than I thought,’” he said. The report states that salmonella remains the leading cause of foodborne illness deaths nationwide.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacteria caused about 1.28 million illnesses and 238 deaths in 2019. Poultry is responsible for at least one-quarter of all reported infections.

The USDA organizes poultry processors into three categories based on how often salmonella is detected in their products. Over 13 percent of plants fall into Category 3, meaning their meat exceeds acceptable contamination levels.

One facility with this classification is the Perdue Foods plant in Washington, Indiana—the company’s only turkey-processing plant.

Perdue Foods spokesperson Kate Shaw said the company remains confident in the safety of its products when handled correctly. She explained that the USDA rating reflects how often salmonella is detected, not the amount found, noting that the measure “doesn't directly correlate with the risk to public health.” She added, “We will continue to invest in rigorous food-safety systems, industry-leading controls, and ongoing third-party verification to protect the families who count on us.”

Even when whole birds test within acceptable limits, processing can increase risk. The report shows that whole Perdue birds earned a strong Category 1 rating. However, its ground turkey earned a Category 3 rating in 55 out of the last 60 months.

DeCoriolis explained that “cutting up a whole bird and turning it into smaller parts and combining multiple birds to make ground turkey products, you're increasing the risk of spreading the contamination.”

Although salmonella poses clear dangers, the USDA currently cannot enforce its own safety standards. The agency can only recall food contaminated with substances classified as “adulterants,” a category that does not include salmonella.

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