New Food Safety Standards Introduced to Reduce Salmonella & Campylobacter Infection Rates

EMSL Analytical provides food pathogen testing services for food processors, manufacturers, distributors and the general public.

Westmont, NJ

New food safety rules were announced this week by the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, aimed at reducing food poisoning in the United States. The new regulations are expected to reduce illness from Campylobacter by 39,000 cases and Salmonella by 26,000 fewer infections.

The new standards would decrease the percentage of poultry carcasses that can test positive for Salmonella from 20% to 7.5%. Campylobacter rates, which had not been regulated, will be set at a 10% positive rate for “highly contaminated” and 46% for “low level” contamination rates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately 500 deaths occur annually in the United States and 1.4 million people get sick from Salmonella. The CDC estimates that Campylobacter kills 124 people and infects up to 2.4 million individuals annually in the country.

Both Campylobacter and Salmonella are Gram-negative bacteria that are found worldwide and can infect animals and humans. Infections from the bacteria can be caused by eating contaminated foods and by transmission from animals to humans.

Exposure to Salmonella or Campylobacter can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps within hours to days of exposure. Infections from either bacterium can cause extreme pain, discomfort and even death.

EMSL Analytical, one of the nation’s largest food pathogen testing laboratories, has a long history of testing for Salmonella, Campylobacter and other dangerous pathogens. “The food testing laboratories at EMSL Analytical provide pathogen testing for all of the commonly tested organisms as well as unknown biological contamination of foods,” reported Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President at EMSL. “Food manufacturers, distributors and citizens can have any questionable food products tested by one of EMSL’s state-of-the-art testing facilities which offer PCR testing services as well as traditional microbial analysis.”

To learn more about food pathogen testing please visit www.FoodTestingLab.com, www.EMSL.com, call (800)220-3675 or email info@EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider of food, environmental and materials testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies.

Contact Information

Joe Frasca

Senior Vice President, Marketing

EMSL Analytical, Inc.

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