DeLauro Statement on New Standards for Poultry Parts and Ground Poultry

Calls for Enforceable Standards, Not Voluntary Guidelines

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today on news that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued the first ever performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter for raw poultry parts and updated standards for ground poultry. DeLauro is a senior member of the subcommittee responsible for funding the United States Department of Agriculture, which FSIS falls under.

“FSIS took a good first step today when they finally issued performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter for raw poultry parts, which I have been calling on them to do. The performance standards for ground poultry were long overdue for an update. But voluntary standards are not sufficient to protect American families from two of the most common foodborne pathogens. Time and again we have seen that when we trust industry to police themselves, public health suffers. I fear this time will be no different.

“The standards themselves are a good first step. But we must stay vigilant and do everything possible to keep industry moving towards enforceable standards. Once these goals are met, FSIS should revisit the standards immediately, and keep us moving in the direction of safer and more wholesome poultry products. We cannot afford to wait another 20-odd years for another review of these standards. Nothing less than our families’ health is at risk.”


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