Those trying to stop human illnesses from poultry won’t give up

The petitioners who believe that listing 31 illness-causing Salmonella serotypes as contaminants in meat and poultry products aren’t likely to take “no” as an answer.

Bill Marler (publisher of Food Safety News), attorney for Rick Schiller, Steven Romes, the Porter Family, Food & Water Watch, the Consumer Federation of America, and Consumer Reports, plans to consult with the petitioners. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) denied their petition on May 26.

It left Marler, the nation’s best-known lawyer for foodborne illness victims, perplexed by the FSIS response. The agency agrees with numerous significant points made by the petitioners but fails to turn those convictions into any imediate action.

However, FSIS says it must deny the petition because it does not believe there is sufficient data at this time to support the “sweeping actions’ requested in the petition.” Read more