WASHINGTON — The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) plans to hold two virtual public meetings for stakeholders to discuss the proposed framework to reduce Salmonella in raw poultry products.

The agency said it would hold the meetings on Dec. 3 and Dec. 5 from 1 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. FSIS said registration would be available soon in a Federal Register notice and future constituent updates.

The comment period for the Salmonella framework will now be extended until Jan. 17, 2025.

The proposal, which was first announced in August, stated it would establish final product standards to keep levels of Salmonella at or above 10 colony forming units (CFU) per gram/mL and any detectable level of at least one of the Salmonella serotypes of public health significance from entering commerce.

Around the time of the proposed change in the FSIS policy, Emilio Esteban, USDA undersecretary for food safety, discussed the reason for the changes in an interview with MEAT+POULTRY. Esteban also explained what poultry establishments must do to comply with the new guidelines if the final rule passes.

He said the poultry industry will have to examine birds pre-harvest. Esteban said FSIS does not have jurisdiction in this part of the supply chain but will make guidance and recommendations.

“We know there are things you can do with the water, with the feed, with the way you raise the animals, the environment and vaccination that will affect the quality of the product that is presented to the slaughter plant,” Esteban said.

Approximately 1.35 million human infections occur from Salmonella bacteria each year in the United States, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FSIS also estimated that 125,000 chicken-associated and almost 43,000 turkey-associated illnesses occur every year.