Salmonella Outbreaks Associated with Not Ready-to-Eat Breaded, Stuffed Chicken Products - United States, 1998-2022.

Not ready-to-eat (NRTE) breaded, stuffed chicken products (e.g., chicken stuffed with broccoli and cheese) typically have a crispy, browned exterior that can make them appear cooked. These products have been repeatedly linked to U.S. salmonellosis outbreaks, despite changes to packaging initiated in 2006 to identify the products as raw and warn against preparing them in a microwave oven (microwave) (1-4). On April 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed to declare Salmonella an adulterant* at levels of one colony forming unit per gram or higher in these products (5). Salmonella outbreaks associated with NRTE breaded, stuffed chicken products during 1998-2022 were summarized using reports in CDC's Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS), outbreak questionnaires, web postings, and data from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)† and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Eleven outbreaks were identified in FDOSS. Among cultured samples from products obtained from patients' homes and from retail stores during 10 outbreaks, a median of 57% of cultures per outbreak yielded Salmonella. The NRTE breaded, stuffed chicken products were produced in at least three establishments.§ In the seven most recent outbreaks, 0%-75% of ill respondents reported cooking the product in a microwave and reported that they thought the product was sold fully cooked or did not know whether it was sold raw or fully cooked. Outbreaks associated with these products have occurred despite changes to product labels that better inform consumers that the products are raw and provide instructions on safe preparation, indicating that consumer-targeted interventions are not sufficient. Additional Salmonella controls at the manufacturer level to reduce contamination in ingredients might reduce illnesses attributable to NRTE breaded, stuffed chicken products.

Effects of Antimicrobial Interventions on Indicator Organisms during Beef Carcass Dressing.

ABSTRACT: Beef slaughter establishments employ many interventions to help minimize the occurrence of pathogens in their products. This study explored the effectiveness of various common interventions on microbial load using the results of the Beef-Veal Carcass Baseline Survey conducted in 2014 to 2015. The Food Safety and Inspection Service analyzed swab samples taken from 1,135 carcasses at 139 establishments. These included paired samples from post-hide removal (before evisceration) and prechill (after evisceration). Samples were tested for pathogens (Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli) and indicators (E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and aerobic count [AC]). The sample size for pathogen-positive samples was small, impeding the establishment of a direct correlation between interventions and pathogens. However, we observed associations between pathogen-positive rate and log AC, indicating similar intervention effectiveness of pathogens and indicators in this study. Generally, the use of interventions reduced indicator concentrations. Each intervention produced a range of effectiveness, suggesting that how interventions are applied may be as important as which interventions are applied. The range of effectiveness for single interventions was a 0.4- to 1.9-log AC reduction; for multihurdle interventions, it ranged from 1.6- to 2.9-log AC reduction. The results of this study may be used by slaughter establishments to help identify effective intervention options for pathogen reduction.