USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published results from the second phase of the agency’s baseline study on salmonella and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in raw pork.
FSIS determined that the national prevalence of salmonella in raw pork products was highest in comminuted products (28.9%), followed by intact cuts (5.3%) and non-intact cuts (3.9%). Less than 1% of samples analyzed were positive for the top seven STEC.
The study was conducted from June 1, 2017, through May 31, 2018, to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and evaluate the occurrence of STEC in a variety of raw pork products. The agency analyzed a total of 4,014 samples from slaughter and processing establishments for Salmonella, a subset of those samples (1,395) from slaughter establishments were analyzed for STEC.
“Our findings indicate there is a need for additional pathogen reduction strategies for raw pork products,” the agency said.
Read the full findings here in the Journal of Food Protection.