Glickman Touts Success of New Salmonella Prevention System

October 8, 1999

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman says a new, science-based inspection system has reduced the prevalence of potentially dangerous salmonella in raw meat and poultry by as much as 50% in small plants. That matches the gains reported earlier in larger plants.

Salmonella sickens about 1.3 million people each year in the United States and can be a deadly pathogen. "Our ability to greatly reduce the prevalence of salmonella in meat and poultry is a significant achievement in our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the American food supply," Glickman said in announcing the results in a speech to the National Chicken Council.

The pathogen was present in 20% of young chicken carcasses in studies conducted before implementation of the new, prevention-oriented inspection system, know as the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system. After six months under HACCP, only 13.9% of young chickens in small plants tested positive, a decline of about 30%. Ground beef results went from 7.5% before HACCP to 3.3% after implementation, a decline of more than 50%.

Data from the second year of testing in large plants indicate a continued decline in salmonella there as well. The prevalence of the pathogen among hogs in large plants dropped by more than 75%, from 8.7% of all animals testing positive before HACCP to 2% in the second year. About 9.3% of young chicken carcasses tested positive, a decline of more than 50% from the pre-HACCP baseline. In ground beef, prevalence declined by nearly two-thirds, to 2.6% in large plants in the second year of HACCP use.

Glickman also announced more than $9.6 million in grants for food safety research and education and to provide assistance to small processors implementing HACCP. Twenty-five food safety special research grants will support research on prevention or detection of major causes of food borne illness.

Forty-eight extension food safety and quality national education grants will fund education and training programs to reduce food borne illness among consumers and other food handlers.