The Congressional Chicken Caucus has requested the USDA to extend the comment period for six months beyond the current November 7th deadline. There is considerable misunderstanding as to the scope of the proposed USDA Salmonella Standards including determination of serotype, means of differentiating among the designated strains and the basic question of what action can be taken in the event of determining one or more strains may be present in products.
The proposed Salmonella standard released in July has the potential to seriously disrupt production, adversely impact cost and ultimately to be disadvantageous to integrators and consumers.
The advocacy groups including Stop Foodborne Illness, the Consumer Federation of America and potential responders affiliated to major universities and schools of public health are also requesting an extension. This will allow a review of the proposed standards and to provide appropriate comments based on scientific validity.