Survey of U.S. broiler establishments on Campylobacter Performance standards for parts

Campylobacter is a major foodborne pathogen linked to poultry consumption and causes gastrointestinal illness. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) regulates pathogen control through performance standards targeting prevalence reduction at the processing operations. After revising Campylobacter performance standards in 2019, USDA-FSIS discontinued public reporting of testing results and categories. A survey of broiler processors evaluated Campylobacter post-harvest interventions and control strategies for chicken parts which was subsequently adopted by the U.S. broiler industry. A majority (62 %) of processing establishments were monitored for Campylobacter and 74 % have an established control program for Campylobacter for chicken parts. In 2021, 49 % of establishments met the USDA-FSIS Campylobacter performance standards for chicken parts, while 68 % met internal establishment sampling. Based on USDA-FSIS sampling, 38 % reported prevalence under 10 % in chicken parts, whereas 60 % of establishments reported prevalence under 10 % resulting from internal establishment sampling. Prevalence under 10 %, likely meets the USDA-FSIS threshold of 7.7 % for Campylobacter performance for parts. Notably, plant processing capacity did not influence prevalence. Over 90 % of establishments used peroxyacetic acid as an antimicrobial intervention for chicken parts. In response to the introduction of Campylobacter performance standards for chicken parts, the poultry processing industry has channeled investments into targeted interventions to mitigate contamination risks.