NCC responds to Foster Farms recall, stresses US chicken is safe

The National Chicken Council is offering reassurance about the safety of U.S. chicken following news of a voluntary recall of chicken products issued by Foster Farms in Livingston, California. The recall involves fresh chicken products produced in March with varying “use or freeze by” dates ranging from March 16, 2014 to March 31, 2014 and frozen chicken products that have a “best by” date of March 7, 2015 to March 11, 2015, due to the potential presence of Salmonella Heidelberg.  No product currently on store shelves is part of this recall. More information on this recall is available on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) website here.  FSIS has noted that since October 2013 Foster Farms has implemented steps to reduce Salmonella throughout its plants and that the agency’s intensified sampling indicates very low levels of the pathogen company-wide. Even with very low levels of Salmonella, there is still the possibility of illness if a raw product is improperly handled or cooked. Read More