Government wish lists have repeatedly included making chicken safer to eat, but the number of Salmonella outbreaks attributed to chicken remained largely unchanged from 1998 through 2022.
In an article published in the Journal of Food Protection, researchers reported that there were 366 Salmonella illness outbreaks attributed to chicken, altogether responsible for 10,344 illnesses, 1,426 hospitalizations, and 12 deaths. One-fifth of all Salmonella illnesses in the United States are attributed to chicken.
Chicken is the primary animal protein consumed in the United States, with Americans eating more chicken per person than in any other country. In 1970, Americans consumed 22.4 pounds of chicken per person per year, on average; by 2019, that number more than doubled, at 54.6 pounds per person per year and the number has continued to rise. Americans’ chicken consumption patterns are also changing. Until the early 1980s, most broilers were sold as whole chickens. Today, most broilers are sold as processed — 52 percent in 2023 — or cut-up raw chicken parts — 39 percent in 2023 — according to the National Chicken Council.
Raw chicken parts were responsible for the most outbreaks and were 5.6 times higher than expected given the volume sold. Of an estimated 1.35 million Salmonella infections in the United States annually, almost one-fifth are attributed to chicken products.
“Our results suggest that additional prevention efforts focused on raw chicken parts may be especially effective in reducing Salmonella illnesses. Since 2000, approximately 40 percent of chicken products have been sold as raw chicken parts according to the National Chicken Council. However, of the 194 reported Salmonella illness outbreaks that had an identified chicken product type, chicken parts were responsible for 69 percent of outbreaks and the most illnesses and hospitalizations,” according to the researchers’ report.
The researchers said there are several factors that may explain the preponderance of outbreaks implicating chicken parts, beyond parts being a commonly consumed type of chicken product.
Salmonella colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of chickens and is easily spread during slaughter and processing to carcasses and parts.
“At the production level, Salmonella contamination can be minimized with the use of proper sanitary dressing procedures and by the application of interventions during slaughter and fabrication,” according to the report.
Thirty percent of chicken-attributed Salmonella outbreaks occurred in restaurants and 25 percent occurred in residences/homes from 1998 through 2022. Among these, more than two-thirds of outbreaks for which a product type could be identified were attributed to chicken parts.
Data collected as part of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) indicate that 1 in every 25 packages of raw chicken at the grocery store is contaminated with Salmonella.
According to the research report, prior to slaughter, vaccinating chickens against Salmonella is a highly effective prevention strategy that could have impacts along the farm-to-fork continuum. Vaccinating breeder hens is particularly effective, but other controls are needed.
“Multilayered prevention strategies along the farm-to-fork continuum, such as vaccinating breeder hens, enhancing controls during slaughter and fabrication, and providing foodservice and consumer education, are needed to reduce and prevent Salmonella illnesses attributed to chicken,” the researchers wrote.
