Notice on New Performance Standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in Young Chicken and Turkey Slaughter Establishments

We commend USDA for both updating performance standards for Salmonella and for establishing a performance standard for Campylobacter in chicken and turkey slaughter establishments. We also commend FSIS’ policy of publishing the names of establishments that exceed the performance standard (Category 3) for Salmonella, and also think they should always publish those that are coming close to exceeding it (Category 2), without the exceptions that exist at present (e.g. if 90% of the establishments for a given product are in Category 1 and no establishments are in Category 3, then Category 2 establishments are not listed). Publishing the names of establishments in Categories 2 will serve as an effective incentive for companies to improve performance.