Press Releases at EMSL

In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced they had finalized new federal standards to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter in ground chicken and turkey products, as well as in raw chicken breasts, legs and wings.

Based on scientific risk assessments, FSIS estimates that the implementation of these standards will lead to an average of 50,000 prevented illnesses annually. FSIS had implemented performance standards for whole chickens in 1996, but has since learned that Salmonella levels increase as chicken is further processed into parts. Poultry parts like breasts, wings and others represent 80% of the chicken available for Americans to purchase. The USDA reports that by creating a standard for chicken parts and by performing regulatory testing at a point closer to the final product, FSIS can greatly reduce consumer exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.

"Over the past seven years, USDA has put in place tighter and more strategic food safety measures than ever before for meat and poultry products," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "These new standards, in combination with greater transparency about poultry companies' food safety performance and better testing procedures, will help prevent tens of thousands of foodborne illnesses every year, reaching our Healthy People 2020 goals."

One of the commercial laboratories that is on the frontlines helping poultry companies ensure that their products meet the USDA’s new food safety measures is EMSL Analytical, Inc. EMSL’s scientists offer testing services to identify microbial pathogens during all phases of processing. These services help companies comply with regulations while preventing contaminated foods from reaching the public. They are also instrumental for identifying the source of an outbreak if one has already occurred and to evaluate disinfection procedures at food processing facilities.

To learn more about testing for Salmonella, Campylobacter or other foodborne pathogens, please visit www.FoodTestingLab.com or www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.

EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of environmental, indoor air quality, consumer product and materials testing services and products for professionals and the general public.  The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.