Although making sure that Salmonella contaminates chicken is bad for consumers and their families, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry and Representative Steve Womack (AR-03), Chairman of the Congressional Chicken Caucus, seem content to allow more to get sick, so I have more work to do – thanks Tracy and Steve.
In ground beef, dangerous forms of E. coli are legally prohibited, and because of that legal fees from those cases have dropped to nearly zero. However, there is no USDA regulatory limit on Salmonella in chicken. Every day, Salmonella-contaminated chicken leaves processing plants with USDA’s stamp of approval visible on the label. Astounding, but true. And consequential. Some 125,000 people get sick and too many are hospitalized and die every year from Salmonella in chicken. The stories of their experiences are excruciating.
In January 2021, a coalition of illness victims and consumer advocacy groups petitioned USDA to set enforceable standards for Salmonella in chicken and turkey. Industry appeared to agree. In September 2021, the scientists who lead the food safety programs at Purdue Farms, Tyson Foods, Wayne Farms, and Butterball joined the consumer groups and leading academic experts in a coalition letter to Secretary Vilsack calling on him to set such standards.
But, Tracy and Steve seem intent on letting consumers get sick while stuffing money in my pockets. Here is their press statement.
January 23, 2025 Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry and Representative Steve Womack (AR-03), Chairman of the Congressional Chicken Caucus, introduced legislation to protect poultry producers and consumers from a President Biden-era regulation that could put producers out of business and drive-up costs for consumers. The legislation prevents the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to carry out its proposed rule regarding Salmonella, which is not based in science nor indicates a major impact on consumer health. The Biden-era proposed rule disregards data from USDA that found Salmonella outbreaks have decreased 60% since 2020 and that more than 97% of whole chickens tested negative for Salmonella as recently as 2022.
“American families have been clear about the weight that skyrocketing food prices and inflation have had on their ability to put food on their tables.” said Rep. Mann. “Rather than coming up with real solutions to drive down costs and make life easier for Americans, President Biden dug his heels deeper in his war on rural America with costly, burdensome regulations. My bill blocks USDA from using taxpayer dollars to implement arbitrary science to burden American families, and it protects America’s livestock producers who work day in and day out to feed a hungry world. I look forward to working with President Trump to end bad, Biden-era nonsense like this.”
“The Biden Administration’s proposed Salmonella Framework places burdensome, unnecessary testing requirements on our nation’s poultry producers,” said Rep. Womack. “This leads to higher costs at the grocery store for consumers. I’m proud to help Congressman Mann introduce this bill to prevent federal funding from being used to implement this ludicrous regulatory requirement. I look forward to working with President Trump’s USDA to support America’s farmers and producers—the backbone of our great nation.
The National Chicken Council supports this bill.
Go figure.