The agency is initiating several key activities to gather the data and information necessary to support future action and move closer to the national target of a 25% reduction in Salmonella illnesses, the announcement said.

Despite consistent reductions in the occurrence of Salmonella in poultry products, more than 1 million consumer illnesses due to Salmonella occur annually. It is estimated that over 23% of those illnesses are due to consumption of chicken and turkey.

FSIS intends to seek stakeholder feedback on specific Salmonella control and measurement strategies, including pilot projects in poultry slaughter and processing establishments.

A key component of this approach is encouraging use of preharvest controls to reduce Salmonella contamination coming into the slaughterhouse.

FSIS will use the data generated from these pilots to determine if a revised approach will result in a reduction of Salmonella illness in consumers.