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This Thanksgiving, the cost of putting turkey on the table is going up, thanks not just to inflation or supply chain issues, but to the ongoing bird flu epidemic ravaging U.S. factory farms and the failure of both government and industry to control it.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of warmth, gratitude, and home-cooked meals shared around the table—not a trip to the emergency room. Yet the turkey at the center of America’s favorite holiday may come with a hidden danger: salmonella.

Consider the raw chicken you pick up at the grocery store for dinner. It might be one of many packages that the CDC says could be contaminated with Salmonella.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service—the federal agency tasked with protecting the public from foodborne illness—is failing in its mandate by allowing high rates of Salmonella contamination to enter the national food supply.

Some of the most recognizable chicken and poultry brands sell products from slaughter and processing plants that fail USDA’s salmonella standards, allowing large volumes of contaminated meat to enter the food supply. How can you tell?

Top poultry brands are routinely violating salmonella standards, and USDA is letting them do it.

By analyzing USDA salmonella regulations and inspection records, federal purchasing data for nutrition assistance programs, and humane handling reports, our findings reveal how regulatory failures, industry practices, and government procurement policies together undermine food safety.

Even though USDA organic standards prohibit the use of antibiotics and other synthetic drugs in livestock production, no institution consistently verifies that these substances don’t end up in the final products.

The agricultural industry has created a two-tiered pollution system, where California’s cattle feedlots can cause premature deaths through air pollution without facing the same environmental oversight that applies to every other major polluting industry.

The factory farm gas industry—backed by major meat and dairy corporations—continues to thrive not because of market demand or climate benefits, but because of government-sponsored greenwashing. What was once sold as a climate solution is increasingly exposed as a thinly veiled subsidy to prop up industrial animal agriculture. And the latest boost comes courtesy of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill.

A Case Study of Alexandre Family Farm

Farm Forward’s latest investigation reveals a deepening trend in the use of taxpayer dollars to prop up industrial meat and dairy companies driving the H5N1 outbreak.

A USDA investigation has validated Farm Forward allegations against Alexandre Family Farm, confirming violations of organic and animal welfare standards. USDA moved to suspend Alexandre’s organic certification and placed the company under heightened oversight. The agency’s final report on the truth of our allegations—obtained by Farm Forward through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request—confirms abuses and regulatory breaches that Alexandre had long denied, until compelled by the investigation and inspection records to admit wrongdoing.

Tariffs may be headline-grabbing, they can distract from a deeper issue: many countries simply don’t want U.S. meat because of how it’s produced.

In April 2025, consumers experienced a slight relief in egg prices, sparking widespread discussions. Despite the welcomed decrease, prices remain at historic highs. The question on everyone’s mind is, why? The answer lies in the persistent presence of bird flu.

The overuse of antibiotics in industrial animal agriculture is a major driver of the antimicrobial resistance crisis—and yet, meat companies and U.S. regulatory agencies have repeatedly failed to act.

Antibiotics in industrial animal farming—how corporate deception and regulatory failure undermine public health 

Consumers have, for years—and especially in the last few months—been paying record prices for eggs as a result of the H5N1 outbreak in poultry.

Whole Foods is knowingly deceiving consumers by selling meat raised with antibiotics under their “no antibiotics, ever” promise.

Farm Forward revealed that trusted beef brands like Tyson, Cargill, and JBS have been deceiving consumers by continuing to sell products that are not antibiotic-free under Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) labels.

After USDA Discovered Dozens of Meat Companies’ Deceptions, Its Regulatory Failure Continued.

The fraud, corruption, and systemic animal abuses of Alexandre Family Farm revealed by Farm Forward have resulted in the filing of a consumer class action lawsuit against the mega-dairy. Humane Farm Animal Care, the group behind the “Certified Humane” label, has also been sued as part of the action. This civil case follows a criminal case brought against Alexandre in California in late 2024.

Today, the fraud, corruption, and systemic animal abuses of Alexandre Family Farm revealed by Farm Forward resulted in the filing of a consumer class action lawsuit against the mega-dairy. Humane Farm Animal Care, the group behind the “Certified Humane” label, has also been sued as part of the action. This civil case follows a criminal case brought against Alexandre in California in late 2024.

Three years into the outbreak and amidst outrageous increases in egg prices, the United States Department of Agriculture continues to make dangerous payouts to big companies and delay corrective action.

How Government Payments to Big Poultry Threaten Public Health.

New pushes for manure biogas, also known as Factory Farm Gas, risk cementing factory farming’s worst practices.

While inflation has impacted all food categories, two significant factors have disproportionately driven up animal product prices: the devastating impact of avian influenza, and systematic price manipulation by major meat producers.

During the last decade, regenerative agriculture has received a lot of attention as a form of farming that promises environmental benefits compared to industrial farming systems. While regenerative agriculture can improve soil quality and soil microbiome, it is far from being a silver bullet for climate change—and has its own drawbacks.

Farm Forward is deeply alarmed by the first bird flu death recorded in the United States. The federal government must act to get the outbreak under control.