WASHINGTON — Four consumer interest groups added to the requests for an extension on the comment period of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed Salmonella rule.

The rule, titled “Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products,” was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 7, with a 60-day period allotted for public comments before becoming finalized. USDA has already issued an extension of that comment period. The public now have until Nov. 7 to leave a note in the Federal Register.

Stakeholders, however, continue to vocalize the need for a further extension.

In their letter addressed to Emilio Esteban, under secretary for food safety at the USDA, the four consumer groups — Stop Foodborne Illness, Consumer Reports, the Consumer Federation of America and the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health — requested a six-month extension.

The groups are concerned that the proposed rule is not comprehensive enough. They added that at least one public meeting with dialogue should be scheduled to discuss the framework.

“We also urge FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service) to convene one or more public stakeholder dialogue meetings that include FSIS leaders and staff, consumer and industry representatives, and independent experts to provide opportunity for genuine exchange among FSIS and its stakeholders on the issues related to a Salmonella spp. standard,” the groups wrote. “Such meetings should be open to the public in conformance with APA requirements and be designed both to inform FSIS and build understanding among stakeholders on the key issues and possibilities for resolving them.”

Despite joining with the poultry industry when asking for an extension on the comment period, the groups applauded the rulemaking initiative. They referred to the framework as a “breakthrough in food safety policy.”

Meanwhile, when the National Chicken Council (NCC) commented on the framework, the association said the rule would be unnecessary, raise costs for producers and consumers and lead to an “extraordinary amount of food waste with no impact on public health.” NCC requested an additional 90-day extension of the comment period.

The other previous formal request for an extension came from Representatives Steve Womack (R-Ark.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), co-chairs of the Congressional Chicken Caucus. The congressmen asked USDA for an additional 180 days. Similar to the consumer interest groups, the congressmen believed the proposed rule lacked clarity and would raise questions that could benefit from an extension of the comment period.