US regulators drop new salmonella rules for raw poultry

US food safety regulators have withdrawn a proposed rule that would have set new salmonella standards for raw poultry. This means poultry producers will not face stricter requirements for controlling salmonella in their products.

For years, the US Food Safety and Inspection Service has tried to reduce salmonella in raw poultry, which causes about 1.35 million illnesses each year. This proposed rule was an attempt to shift from simply testing for salmonella to requiring producers to actively prevent it. By withdrawing the rule, regulators are signaling that they will not force producers to change their practices, at least not in this way.