Poland’s Salmonella poultry problem continues

A variety of European countries have issued nearly 100 warnings about Salmonella in chilled and frozen poultry from Poland since the start of March this year.

Data from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal shows alerts from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Italy, France and Romania. Most notifications were made by Lithuania, followed by Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

Involved serotypes include Enteritidis, Infantis, Typhimurium, Saintpaul, Derby, Newport, and Mbandaka. European regulation on fresh poultry mentions Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium as a food safety criterion as these serotypes represent the main risk for public health. It considers chicken contaminated with other types as compliant or that it should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The EU produced an estimated 15.2 million tons of poultry meat in 2018. The main producer in that year with 2.5 million tons was Poland.