{"id":5553,"date":"2026-01-23T18:04:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T23:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/?p=5553"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:05:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T23:05:26","slug":"chicken-industrys-latest-salmonella-fix-regulate-your-air-fryer-not-poultry-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/news\/chicken-industrys-latest-salmonella-fix-regulate-your-air-fryer-not-poultry-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicken Industry\u2019s Latest Salmonella Fix? Regulate Your Air Fryer, Not Poultry Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<section class=\"normal_content bg-white padding-top-small padding-bottom-large\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row center-md\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-7\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-styled\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a stunning display of regulatory deflection, the National Chicken Council (NCC)\u2014an industry trade association\u2014suggests federal air fryer standards could solve salmonella, blaming consumers rather than industry negligence. NCC called for reduced testing on processors and \u201cbetter education\u201d for home cooks, implying underpowered appliances\u2014not systemic food safety failures\u2014pose the real threat. At a January 14, 2026 USDA <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/news-events\/events-meetings\/public-meeting-exploring-practical-strategies-reduce-salmonella-poultry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">public meeting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, NCC spokesperson Ashley Peterson argued USDA should focus on collaborating with the EPA on air fryer standards rather than strengthening salmonella controls in poultry production.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This meeting came in the wake of a failed proposal for improving salmonella control in the poultry industry. USDA had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/policy\/federal-register-rulemaking\/federal-register-rules\/salmonella-framework-raw-poultry-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">proposed a rule<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in August 2024 that would have declared salmonella an adulterant in raw poultry, effectively banning the sale of poultry with certain levels of contamination. However, in April 2025, this rule was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2025\/04\/25\/2025-07187\/salmonella-framework-for-raw-poultry-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">withdrawn<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, citing regulatory overreach and undue burden on the industry. The January 14th public meeting was held to address an alternative path forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Informed by our ongoing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/publications\/how-the-usda-the-us-poultry-industry-fail-to-protect-americans-from-foodborne-disease\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">investigative research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on salmonella contamination in the poultry industry, Farm Forward delivered testimony that called for expanding salmonella regulation that protects consumers, rather than industry interests, and making key improvements in testing, data sharing, industry practices, and animal welfare. Resonating with comments made at the meeting by consumer interest organizations, academic experts, small-scale farmers, and tech industry representatives, Farm Forward has made the following recommendations for meaningful reform:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Salmonella is a problem that must be addressed long before the slaughter and processing plant.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salmonella <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10074252\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">begins at hatcheries<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and with bird <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/issues\/genetic-modification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">genetics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not just final processing, so effective control must span the entire supply chain from breeding through slaughter.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Salmonella contamination data is insufficient and difficult to access.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Current testing only detects salmonella\u2019s presence, not risk. Effective control requires data on quantity, strain, and antibiotic resistance to distinguish low-risk contamination from potentially deadly threats.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although USDA <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/science-data\/data-sets-visualizations\/microbiology\/salmonella-verification-testing-program-monthly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">posts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> salmonella testing data publicly, it is difficult to access, interpret, and track over time, prompting calls for user-friendly summaries, visualizations, and modernized data tools that do not require advanced technical expertise to understand.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Strict regulation is needed to reduce contamination and protect consumers.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USDA should move forward with its proposed (and then withdrawn) plan to declare salmonella an adulterant. A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsis.usda.gov\/policy\/federal-register-rulemaking\/federal-register-notices\/delayed-verification-sampling-not-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recently suspended<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rule for adulterant standards in not-ready-to-eat breaded stuffed chicken\u2014covering raw products that appear fully cooked\u2014must be reinstated and extended to all raw poultry products.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salmonella standards must be enforceable, granting USDA authority to close plants, halt contaminated product sales, and recall any products that reach the market.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Animal welfare must be part of salmonella reform.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/B9780857090683500111\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> increasingly shows poor welfare and inhumane handling raise foodborne pathogen risks. USDA <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19737056\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acknowledges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this, and Farm Forward and other advocates call for enforceable live bird handling rules to improve welfare and reduce contamination.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsurprisingly, industry spokespersons were opposed to any additional regulation, saying that the current standards were either sufficient and should be maintained as they are, or that they were overly restrictive and should be rolled back.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This predictable narrative was countered with clear evidence that the current performance standards are not working and that they allow industry to continue with business as usual, endangering public health. In USDA\u2019s presentation on the state of contamination, the agency reported that, in comminuted (diced and ground) chicken, 54.5% of establishments fail the salmonella standards and that contamination in these products has seen a sharp increase over the last two years. The status quo cannot be allowed to continue; both industry and USDA must take responsibility for these unchecked levels of contamination and prioritize protecting public health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Farm Forward continues in its commitment to demanding meaningful salmonella regulation in the poultry industry. To learn more about our ongoing work in this area, check out our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/publications\/how-the-usda-the-us-poultry-industry-fail-to-protect-americans-from-foodborne-disease\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">full investigative report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/publications\/why-salmonella-keeps-showing-up-in-poultry-what-the-usda-isnt-doing-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">issue brief<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on regulatory failures in salmonella control, and deeper dives into <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/publications\/inside-costcos-chicken-supply-chain-salmonella-contamination-and-the-true-costs-of-the-4-99-rotisserie-chicken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Costco\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/news\/the-butterball-problem-how-big-poultry-is-spreading-salmonella-to-your-thanksgiving-table\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Butterball\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> contamination problems and how you can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/news\/how-to-find-out-if-youre-buying-salmonella-contaminated-poultry-from-trusted-poultry-brands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">find out<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if you\u2019re buying contaminated products.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":5558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-policy","category-public-health-pandemics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmforward.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}