Attachments to this report:

• Tables 1a, 1b | Tables 2a, 2b | Tables 3-4 | Tables 5a, 5b | Tables 6, 7
• All charts and figures are contained within the PDF version of this report.

Executive Summary

• There were 1664 samples collected and analyzed for Salmonella or Campylobacter in the PR/HACCP verification program.
• From the previous quarter, the percentage of slaughter plants in Category 3 for carcass sampling:
  • Decreased for young chicken slaughter establishments (2.9% to 2.8%; from 5 out of 175 plants to 5 out of 177 plants)
  • Remained the same for young turkey slaughter establishments (0%; 0 out of 32 plants to 0 of 33 plants)
• There were 1566 carcass samples also analyzed for Campylobacter, with the following percent positive results:
  • Young Chickens – 3.4% (1327 samples analyzed)
  • Young Turkeys – 0.8% (239 samples analyzed)
• 87.1% of young chicken and young turkey slaughter establishments are in Category 1, while 2.4% are in Category 3. The remaining establishments are either Category 2 or 2T.
• Not Ready-To-Eat (NRTE) Comminuted Poultry Sampling Project cumulative results for ground, other comminuted, and mechanically separated poultry samples from January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015 are:
  • Salmonella positive– 48.5% (526 out of 1084 samples), 65.5% of NRTE comminuted chicken (451 out of 689 samples), and 19.0% of NRTE comminuted turkey (75 out of 395 samples).
  • Campylobacter positive – 8.4% (91 out of 1084 samples), 12.8% of NRTE comminuted chicken (88 out of 689 samples), and 0.8% of NRTE comminuted turkey (3 out of 395 samples).
• Small production volume beef establishments which were sampled under the MT43S program are now being analyzed under the MT43 (raw ground beef) sampling program for both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. [1] A total of 2983 samples were analyzed in the raw ground beef sampling program. Of those, 27 (0.9%) were positive for Salmonella.
• Out of 1493 samples analyzed in the eight other domestic MT sampling projects, 46 samples (3.1%) were Salmonella positive, while in imported raw beef products tested, only one sample of 186 was Salmonella positive (0.5%).

This report discusses the Salmonella and Campylobacter verification sampling results for the First Quarter CY2015 as presented in Tables 1-7, Chart 1, and Figures 1-6. [2] It also includes sampling results from the NRTE Comminuted Poultry Sampling Project as presented in Tables 5a and 5b. [3]

Tables 1a and 1b 
Table 1a describes the Salmonella performance standards/guidance for three product classes and allowed positives for categories 1, 2T, 2 and 3. Table 1b describes the Campylobacter performance standards/guidance for two product classes and allowed positives for categories 1, 2T, 2 and 3.

Tables 2a and 2b
Table 2a summarizes Salmonella verification samples including Salmonella positive results, based on sample collection date, from January through March 2015 for both product classes. Table 2b summarizes quantitative (1 ml—regulatory) results for Campylobacter verification samples including Campylobacter positive results, based on sample collection date, from January through March 2015 for young chicken and young turkey carcass samples.

Tables 3-4
Tables 3-4 report the proportion of young chicken and young turkey slaughter establishments by category that have completed at least two recent Salmonella verification-sampling sets. New establishments are not identified in any category until FSIS has documented the results from two sets. An establishment with its last set ≤ 50% of the performance standard or guidance and the prior set at > 50% of the performance standard or guidance is sub-categorized as 2T, with T standing for transitioning to Category 1. Young chicken and young turkey set results are classified using the performance standards that were in place at the time the set was initiated.

Tables 5a and 5b
Table 5a summarizes Salmonella positive results from January 2015 through March 2015 for the NRTE Comminuted Poultry Exploratory Sampling Project. Table 5b summarizes Campylobacter positive results from January 2015 through March 2015 for chicken and turkey comminuted products for the NRTE Comminuted Poultry Exploratory Sampling Project.  Both tables also display the quartile distributions of percent positives among the sampled establishments for each type of product.

Tables 6 and 7
Table 6 summarizes the Salmonella samples analyzed from all nine domestic raw beef projects, while Table 7 includes the samples taken from all raw beef products imported from other countries. [1]

A total of 4476 samples were analyzed from nine MT projects for Salmonella in the first quarter of CY2015, from which 73 samples were positive. A total of 2983 samples were collected and analyzed for Salmonella in raw ground beef sampling program MT43, of which 27 (0.9%) were positive. In imported raw beef products from all other countries, FSIS found one sample positive out of 186 analyzed for Salmonella.

Chart 1
This chart represents the total percentage of establishments within product classes classified by category and sub-category for young chicken and young turkey. This chart indicates that as of March 31, 2015, 87.1% of establishments are in Category 1, 4.8% are in Category 2T, 5.7% are in Category 2, and 2.4% are in Category 3.

Figures 1 through 3 
Figures 1 through 3 summarize Salmonella positive results by product class for the most recent five quarters. Past reports included figures with ground beef, ground turkey and ground chicken sampling results. The last samples for these products under these programs were taken in October 2013. Therefore, those figures are not included in this report. These products are now sampled in the Not-Ready-To-Eat (NRTE) Comminuted Turkey and Not-Ready-To-Eat Comminuted Chicken Exploratory Sampling programs. The data from these newer programs are shown in Tables 5a and 5b.

Figures 4 and 5
Figures 4 and 5 summarize Campylobacter positive results by product classes for the most recent five quarters.

Figure 6 
Figure 6 summarizes Salmonella positive results by project code in this quarter for the nine domestic raw beef (MT) projects.

NOTE: While earlier quarterly reports included individual sample results from “A” sets only, the current report format summarizes data from all sets. This change was discussed in the 2006-second quarterly report, which can be accessed on the FSIS website: www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/quarterly-reports-salmonella/q2-cy-2006/.

Additional information regarding this report

In order to handle sample scheduling more efficiently and to update information on actively producing establishments, the Agency continues to automate the sampling algorithm process. Therefore, the total number of active operating establishments can change from quarter to quarter as establishments exit or enter the industry. This change does not apply to intermittently-producing establishments. The Agency will continue to categorize these establishments because they are considered to be operating at some level.

Given the revised sampling strategy, the percentage of positive samples is no longer useful as an indicator of trends. As described above, FSIS has implemented placing establishments into Category 1, 2T, 2, or 3 as an alternative trend indicator for the Salmonella verification sampling program. While the Agency does not expect the category trend indicator to vary greatly on a quarterly basis, it should facilitate tracking of overall industry performance when examined over multiple years. Other trend indicators continue to be considered.

Beginning March 28, 2008, FSIS posted completed Salmonella sample set results from Young Chicken slaughter establishments with variable (Category 2) and highly variable (Category 3) process control. Currently only Category 3 Young Chicken slaughter establishments are posted on the FSIS website. In January, February and March 2015, there were seven (7) establishments in Category 3. FSIS continues to update this information on or about the 15th of each month. The current posting can be accessed at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/salmonella-verification-testing-program/.

As announced in the January 2008 Federal Register Notice: Salmonella Verification Sampling Program: Response to Comments and New Agency Policies (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/dab45316-44b2-4d75-a91e-a70f83b0cf7d/2006-0034.pdf?MOD=AJPERES), young turkey establishments in Categories 2 and 3 were eligible for posting to the FSIS website beginning May 15, 2008. The Agency is still considering publishing category results for establishments in additional product classes. Annual reports summarizing results for calendar years are available on the FSIS website as well as previous quarterly reports. The restructuring of Salmonella set scheduling, however, means that it is inappropriate to compare results from 2006 onward to previous years. Similarly, the changes to the Salmonella verification sampling program prevent valid comparisons of testing results over time (e.g., quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year trends).

Tables

Table 1a: Salmonella Product Classes, Performance Standards/Guidance, and Allowed Positives for Categories 1, 2T, 2 and 3

◊ Maximum number of positives is set at the number which would provide 80% likelihood of an establishment passing the sample set, if it were operating at exactly the performance standard (e.g. there is an 80% chance that a Young Chicken slaughter establishment that has Salmonella in exactly 7.5% of its product getting 5 or fewer positive samples out of a set of 51).

*New performance standards for young chicken and turkey carcasses were implemented July 1, 2011.

§Establishment category, which is based on the most recent two sets completed

Table 1b: Campylobacter Product Classes, Performance Standards/Guidance, and Allowed Positives for Category 1, 2T, 2 and 3

Categories for Campylobacter To Be Determined (TBD)

Table 2a: Percent Positive Salmonella Carcass Tests (All Samples) in the PR/HACCP Verification Testing Program (HC projects) by Product Class and Establishment Size - First Quarter CY2015 (January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015)

Table 2b: Percent Positive Quantitative (1 ml—regulatory) Campylobacter Carcass Tests (All Samples) in the PR/HACCP Verification Testing Program by Product Class and Establishment Size - First Quarter CY2015 (January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015)

Table 3: Young Chicken Slaughter Establishments by Salmonella Category, First Quarter CY2015

*Total Number of Establishments Currently Operating and Subject to Sampling That Have At Least Two Completed Sets

Table 4: Young Turkey Slaughter Establishments by Salmonella Category, First Quarter CY2015

*Total Number Of Establishments Currently Operating and Subject to Sampling That Have At Least Two Completed Sets.

Table 5a: Percent Positive Salmonella Tests (All Samples) in the NRTE Comminuted Poultry Exploratory Sampling Project by Reported Finished Product Category – All Samples (January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015)**

**NOTE: The finished product information is obtained here through inspection personnel responses on the sampling forms and is subject to further review by the Agency for future analyses.

Table 5b: Percent Positive Campylobacter Tests (All Samples) in the NRTE Comminuted Poultry Exploratory Sampling Project by Reported Finished Product Category - All Samples (January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015)**

**NOTE: The finished product information is obtained here through inspection personnel responses on the sampling forms and is subject to further review by the Agency for future analyses.

 Table 6: Percent Positive Salmonella Tests (All Samples) in Domestic Raw Beef (MT) Sampling Projects – All Samples (January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015)

* Dependent on positive findings from other E. coli O157:H7 or non-O157 (STEC) sampling projects.

Table 7:  Percent Positive Salmonella Tests (All Samples) in Imported Raw Beef (MT) Products Sampling Projects – All Samples (January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015)

Data Source: FSIS Data Warehouse