14 ❙ WATTPoultryUSA SALMONELLA READING OUTBREAK Colin Basler, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public health and regulatory agencies continue to monitor for the presence of the disease in turkey meat. Joan Wozniak | iStockPhoto.com Controlling Salmonella and teaching food safety The NTF's general strategy for dealing with the outbreak at this point is two pronged. First, it wants the industry to focus on containing Salmonella Reading and Salmonella in general. Second, it wants to educate consumers on how best to protect themselves from foodborne illness. Beyond the mystery surrounding the origin of Salmonella Reading's presence in turkeys, some of the frustration comes from the outbreak going against the industry's progress in reducing Salmonella prevalence. Brandenberger said Salmonella prevalence is about 2% on whole turkeys and the prevalence is slightly higher on ground turkey products. That's less than half of the prevalence when the USDA's FSIS started sampling for the bacteria in the 1990s. Despite this, the presence of the Salmonella Reading challenge and the number of unknowns surrounding the serotype is pushing the industry to further intensify its efforts to control all Salmonella. On the consumer end, the NTF is making a serious push for consumers to practice basic food safety measures SALMONELLA PREVALENCE IS ABOUT 2% on whole turkeys and the prevalence is slightly higher on ground turkey products. www.WATTAgNet.com ❙ May 2019http://www.iStockPhoto.com http://www.WATTAgNet.com