First, the Congressional Chicken Caucus Co-chairs, Representatives Steve Womack, R-AR, and Jim Costa, D-CA, asked USDA Secretary Vilsack for an additional 180 days for comments on the proposed Salmonella Framework in a letter. The National Chicken Council (NCC) wants at least a 90-day extension of the comment period for the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) proposal. In July, the USDA proposed a rule that would stop poultry producers from selling chicken and turkey contaminated with high levels of certain types of Salmonella.
The rule would make it illegal to sell chicken, chicken parts, ground chicken, and turkey if they are found to be contaminated with certain types of Salmonella. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will apply the rule, which was more than three years in the making. Once published in the Federal Register, the public and entities, including industry organizations, individual producers, and consumer groups, first had 60 days to comment, but that was already extended.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service estimates the proposed rule would result in benefits to society of $20.5 million per year, ranging from $4.4 million to $39 million.
Most of the benefits would be derived from preventable illnesses of $12.9 million annually, ranging from $0.3 million to $28.
7 million. FSIS also estimated avoided costs from a reduction in the risk of outbreak-related recalls for the industry. Additional industry actions in response to this pr.