The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA has announced that vaccine strains of Salmonella administered to flocks would be excluded from calculations applied to establish the status of plants under the Raw Poultry Performance Standards.
It is recognized that vaccine strains are innocuous given multiple gene deletion and with their biological activity confined to stimulating an antibody response. The decision by the FSIS was based on an analysis of data from eleven pilot projects evaluating pre-harvest strategies.
Dr. Ashley Peterson, NCC Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, stated, “Companies will no longer be penalized for using a Salmonella vaccine should the strain be detected in the processing facility by FSIS.”
Before the change in FSIS policy that will be effective on April 1st, any vaccine strain Salmonella isolated counted against the participating establishment and effectively served as a deterrent to vaccination as a viable intervention measure. The change in policy will be beneficial to producers and ultimately, consumers given the efficacy of vaccination.