The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is turning its attention toward a fresh strategy for addressing Salmonella in poultry, following the withdrawal of its earlier proposal. To help shape this new direction, the agency will hold a public meeting on January 14, 2026, aimed at gathering ideas on practical ways to lower salmonellosis cases linked to poultry products.
FSIS intends for the meeting to serve as a platform for discussion on improving data use, refining performance standards, and developing policies that balance public health goals with the capacities of poultry producers of all sizes. This effort follows a series of roundtable conversations held over recent months, which brought together industry members, academic experts, consumer advocates, and purchasers of raw poultry. Those discussions provided broad insight into both the technical and policy challenges surrounding Salmonella control, and the upcoming public session is expected to build on that foundation.
The earlier framework was pulled back after feedback from commenters who questioned the agency’s regulatory authority, raised concerns about the science behind the proposed standards, and highlighted the potential financial strain on smaller producers. FSIS determined that these issues warranted deeper examination before moving ahead.
The public meeting will take place from late morning to mid-afternoon on January 14, both in person in Washington, D.C., and online. Registration is required by January 7, with an earlier deadline of January 5 for those wishing to give remarks during the session. Written comments may also be filed through Regulations.gov until February 2.
Discussion during the event will center on four themes: how FSIS data could be better leveraged, the real-world factors that shape Salmonella controls, alternative approaches to performance standards such as using serotypes or genomic information, and new policy options that go beyond the current regulatory model.
The agency’s renewed approach follows the decision in April 2025 to withdraw the regulatory framework first released in 2024, which would have classified certain levels or types of Salmonella in raw poultry as adulteration. In December 2025, FSIS also paused enforcement of an already finalized rule applying similar criteria to certain not-ready-to-eat breaded and stuffed chicken products. The delay stems from concerns about the accuracy of available test methods, including a high rate of false positives. FSIS has stated that it will continue evaluating testing reliability as it works toward a new strategy for reducing Salmonella in poultry.
