I loved listening to Paul Harvey on the radio when I was younger. Part of it was probably his mesmerizing voice but part of it was because I loved learning about the rest of the story. During his radio broadcast, Paul always took some true story and expanded on it to include the mystery and unknown facts that made up the rest of the story. People always trusted what he was saying mostly because he talked about facts. So, like Paul Harvey, this blog will focus on …. the rest of the story.

When I wrote my last blog about line speeds (Lagging behind the rest of the world), I had no idea that the journal Poultry Science would accept and publish the line speed data manuscript just a few days later (10/10/2020; Higher Line Speed in Young Chicken Slaughter Establishments Does Not Predict Increased Salmonella Contamination Risks). Good timing! Now that it is published, I can add some “rest of the story” to the line speed concerns.

The recently published Poultry Science article answers the question, “Do faster slaughter line speeds for young chickens increase risk of Salmonella contamination?” For those of you that prefer to read the conclusions first, faster line speeds (as defined >140 birds per minute) today being used in today’s establishments do not cause increased risk of Salmonella and do not create a more contaminated product under the conditions presented in the study.

For those of you that like more detail, the study encompassed 97 New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) establishments operating at either 140 BPM or at faster line speeds. Researchers examined microbial quality, specifically frequencies of positive Salmonella samples, and process control parameters (such as noncompliance process control and food safety records). Standard statistical and machine learning methods were used as analyses to determine correlations and causal relationships among the variables. The results indicate that Salmonella presence or process control indicators are not significantly increased in establishments currently running at faster line speeds.

These results are also consistent with the null hypothesis from 30 years ago by the National Research Council (NRC) which stated that “increased line speeds result in a product that is not contaminated more often than before line speeds were increased”.

And now for the rest of the story.

NPIS was developed from data obtained from the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP). Under this program, trained establishment employees sort and remove unacceptable carcasses and parts before the birds are presented to an online carcass inspector allowing FSIS to conduct a more efficient and effective online inspection of each bird processed. Based on this HIMP data, USDA FSIS granted regulatory waivers under the Agency’s Salmonella Initiative Program (SIP) to allow plants (in addition to the 20 HIMP) to operate at faster lines speeds. For a plant to be approved to run at faster line speeds within these regulatory waivers, they must meet certain regulatory requirements. These requirements include the following:

Plants must be operating under NPIS for 1 year prior to waiver request.
Plants must be FSIS’s Salmonella performance standard category 1 or 2 for young chicken carcasses.
Plants must have a demonstrated history of regulatory compliance.
Plants must demonstrate that their equipment, process, etc. can operate at faster lines speeds while maintaining process control and food safety.
In addition, plants must conduct daily aerobic plate count (APC) testing and at least weekly testing for Salmonella and share the results with USDA FSIS.
If at any time the plant or FSIS sees a problem which can result in unsafe product or a trend leading to loss of process control, USDA and/or the plant can decrease line speeds and the plant must take steps to regain process control.

This Poultry Science study, backed by scientific data and analyses, indicates that the faster line speeds do not increase food safety risk to the public. Now you have the rest of the story. But don’t feel like you need to take my word for it. Please read the article and feel free to ask me any questions.

…and now for the rest of the story

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