USDA Will No Longer Allow Salmonella in Breaded, Stuffed Chicken

This is a major step for food safety, CR experts say

By Lisa L. Gill
Investigative Reporter

Updated April 26, 2024

Stuffed Breaded Chicken Cut in half on a plate

The Department of Agriculture announced today that it has finalized its policy to declare salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken, such as some frozen chicken cordon bleu and chicken Kiev products. The agency had first proposed this step in 2022. The policy will go into effect next April.

“This marks the first time that Salmonella is being declared an adulterant in a class of raw poultry products,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “This policy change is important because it will allow us to stop the sale of these products when we find levels of Salmonella contamination that could make people sick.”

Currently, only toxin-producing E. coli strains, such as E. coli O157:H7, are considered adulterants, and only in ground beef.

The policy will require raw chicken to be tested for salmonella before it is breaded or stuffed. If the chicken tests positive at levels above 1 colony forming unit per gram, a very low level of contamination, it cannot be used in the product.

“This is a historic first step toward addressing salmonella contamination in a meaningful way,” says Brian Ronholm, CR’s director of food policy “Hopefully, it represents just the beginning and will lead to additional efforts to address salmonella in other poultry products.” CR has long advocated for salmonella to be prohibited in poultry products.

Salmonella causes 1.35 million illnesses per year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. About a quarter of the cases are the result of eating poultry. Although raw stuffed, breaded products account for less than 0.15 percent of the chicken produced in the U.S., they represented 5 percent of the foodborne illness outbreaks involving chicken between 1998 and 2020, according to the USDA. There have been 14 salmonella outbreaks related to these products (such as this one in 2021), sickening an estimated 200 people since 1998.

Consumers often aren’t aware that these chicken products are raw; the breading may appear brown, making the chicken look like it’s precooked.

The USDA says that improved labeling emphasizing proper cooking instructions hasn’t been effective at reducing illnesses. Sandy Eskin, deputy undersecretary for food safety at the USDA, told CR in 2022 that the agency is “committed to reducing salmonella infections linked to poultry products, and we believe that to do this, we must take more aggressive action.”

The USDA said that today’s announcement is part of a broader strategy to reduce salmonella illnesses attributable to poultry and that it plans to address salmonella in other raw poultry products later in the year.

While this act will protect consumers from salmonella, it’s still key to properly cook breaded, stuffed chicken products. Be sure to read the package labels—the products will be marked raw or uncooked—and follow all cooking instructions. All chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165° F. Confirm the temperature before you eat the chicken by inserting a meat thermometer into the center and the thickest part.

Editor’s Note: This article, originally published Aug. 1, 2022, has been updated. The original story focused on the USDA’s proposed action.

Lisa L. Gill

Lisa L. Gill is an award-winning investigative reporter. She has been at Consumer Reports since 2008, covering health and food safety—heavy metals in the food supply and foodborne illness—plus healthcare and prescription drug costs, medical debt, and credit scores. Lisa also testified before Congress and the Food and Drug Administration about her work on drug costs and drug safety. She lives in a DIY tiny home, where she gardens during the day and stargazes the Milky Way at night.