Strategies to control Salmonella and Campylobacter in raw poultry products

Foodborne illness is a major public health concern. The largest number of foodborne illness cases attributed to poultry and poultry products are caused by paratyphoid serotypes of Salmonella and by Campylobacter jejuni. The effective prevention of foodborne disease requires an understanding that contamination can be introduced into foods at numerous points along the food chain. Since multiple entry points exist for foodborne pathogens, multifaceted intervention approaches are required to successfully control contamination of poultry during the various phases of the growth period and processing procedure of broiler chickens. Strategies during the grow-out period (the period during which day-old chicks are raised to six- to seven-week-old broiler chickens) include sanitation, biosecurity, vaccine and drug therapy, and biological control procedures, such as those aimed at preventing colonisation. There are also many critical control points identified in the processing plant which reduce contamination. These include temperature controls (washer and product), chemical interventions, water replacements and counter-flow technology in the scalder and chiller, and equipment maintenance. Transportation and food handling at retail outlets and by the consumer (i.e., storage at the proper temperature and adequate cooking) are the final critical control points in the farm-to-table continuum. It is important to apply risk reduction strategies throughout the food chain. These include: easing the development and implementation of voluntary animal production 'best management practices', implementing in-plant hazard analysis and critical control point systems, developing effective transportation and refrigeration standards, working to facilitate adoption of the model Food Code in all States and providing educational materials and support for public health activities nationwide.