WASHINGTON – Food Safety and Inspection Service (F.S.I.S.) Notice 08-10: Nationwide Raw Chicken Parts Microbiological Baseline Data Collection Program has been issued. It provides information to inspection program personnel (I.P.P.) at the establishments that are included as part of this baseline data collection program.

Information in this notice applies to the 90-day training (i.e., “shake down”) period that will be conducted before the actual baseline study begins. The 90-day training period began with the issuance of this notice. The sample collection procedures for this study are different than those for the routine sampling of other poultry products.

This program will collect rinses of raw chicken parts at all establishments that:

1. Slaughter broilers and cut the carcasses into chicken parts of the type typically available for purchase by consumers;

2. Receive whole-chicken carcasses from other federally-inspected establishments and cut carcasses into halves, or quarters or individual parts of the type typically available for purchase by consumers; or

3. Receive raw chicken parts from other federally-inspected establishments and cut them further into halves, or quarters or individual parts of the type typically available for purchase by consumers.

Data from this baseline study concerning the prevalence and quantitative levels of selected foodborne pathogens and microorganisms that serve as indicators of process control (e.g., Campylobacter, generic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and plate counts of aerobic microorganisms) will be provided to F.S.I.S. and the regulated industry.

F.S.I.S. is defining, for the purposes of this survey, “raw cut-up chicken parts” as raw, (uncooked) cut-up chicken parts, whether skin-on or skinless or bone-in or boneless, such as, but not limited to: breasts, thighs, wings, legs, necks, backs, half- or quarter-carcasses, and internal organs, such as giblets (e.g. liver, heart, or gizzard) typically available for purchase by consumers.

To read this notice, click: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/FSISNotices/08-10.pdf