The USDA sets maximum limits for salmonella in meat and poultry produced in the U.S. Its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) tests raw poultry samples from manufacturing plants for salmonella weekly. The FSIS ranks each facility based on salmonella testing results across a 52-week moving window.
Each week, as new samples are tested, older results shift out of the ranking.
The rankings published last week were based on chicken parts producers’ performance during the 52-week window from October 2017 to October 2018. Category 1 facilities did not have more than 50% of the maximum allowable salmonella during that window.
Category 2 facilities didn’t violate the maximum allowed salmonella, but were