FSIS to set zero salmonella tolerance for high-risk poultry products

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) said it will issue a new notice establishing a zero tolerance for salmonella on raw, frozen, stuffed poultry products that have the appearance of being ready to eat.
Chicken cordon bleu, chicken kiev, and chicken stuffed with broccoli are included in this class of products. FSIS indicated that the notice would also provide instructions to inspection personnel on obtaining finished product samples on a regularly scheduled basis.
Although labels clearly warn consumers that the product must be cooked and should not be prepared in a microwave, many of the consumers who became ill from these products ignored the labels. FSIS said it has decided to take this action because of the number of foodborne illnesses over the past few years associated with this class of products and that labeling alone will not reduce the risk of these products to consumers.
FSIS said it believes there are steps that processors can take in the manufacture of these products, such as the use of antimicrobials, to achieve a non-detectible level of salmonella in the finished product.