Chicken Industry’s Latest Salmonella Fix? Regulate Your Air Fryer, Not Poultry Plants

In a stunning display of regulatory deflection, the National Chicken Council (NCC)—an industry trade association—suggests federal air fryer standards could solve salmonella, blaming consumers rather than industry negligence. NCC called for reduced testing on processors and “better education” for home cooks, implying underpowered appliances—not systemic food safety failures—pose the real threat. At a January 14, 2026 USDA public meeting, NCC spokesperson Ashley Peterson argued USDA should focus on collaborating with the EPA on air fryer standards rather than strengthening salmonella controls in poultry production.

This meeting came in the wake of a failed proposal for improving salmonella control in the poultry industry. USDA had proposed a rule in August 2024 that would have declared salmonella an adulterant in raw poultry, effectively banning the sale of poultry with certain levels of contamination. However, in April 2025, this rule was withdrawn, citing regulatory overreach and undue burden on the industry. The January 14th public meeting was held to address an alternative path forward. 

Informed by our ongoing investigative research on salmonella contamination in the poultry industry, Farm Forward delivered testimony that called for expanding salmonella regulation that protects consumers, rather than industry interests, and making key improvements in testing, data sharing, industry practices, and animal welfare. Resonating with comments made at the meeting by consumer interest organizations, academic experts, small-scale farmers, and tech industry representatives, Farm Forward has made the following recommendations for meaningful reform: 

Salmonella is a problem that must be addressed long before the slaughter and processing plant. 

• Salmonella begins at hatcheries and with bird genetics, not just final processing, so effective control must span the entire supply chain from breeding through slaughter.

Salmonella contamination data is insufficient and difficult to access. 

• Current testing only detects salmonella’s presence, not risk. Effective control requires data on quantity, strain, and antibiotic resistance to distinguish low-risk contamination from potentially deadly threats.
• Although USDA posts salmonella testing data publicly, it is difficult to access, interpret, and track over time, prompting calls for user-friendly summaries, visualizations, and modernized data tools that do not require advanced technical expertise to understand.

Strict regulation is needed to reduce contamination and protect consumers. 

• USDA should move forward with its proposed (and then withdrawn) plan to declare salmonella an adulterant. A recently suspended rule for adulterant standards in not-ready-to-eat breaded stuffed chicken—covering raw products that appear fully cooked—must be reinstated and extended to all raw poultry products.
• Salmonella standards must be enforceable, granting USDA authority to close plants, halt contaminated product sales, and recall any products that reach the market.

Animal welfare must be part of salmonella reform. 

• Research increasingly shows poor welfare and inhumane handling raise foodborne pathogen risks. USDA acknowledges this, and Farm Forward and other advocates call for enforceable live bird handling rules to improve welfare and reduce contamination.

Unsurprisingly, industry spokespersons were opposed to any additional regulation, saying that the current standards were either sufficient and should be maintained as they are, or that they were overly restrictive and should be rolled back.  

This predictable narrative was countered with clear evidence that the current performance standards are not working and that they allow industry to continue with business as usual, endangering public health. In USDA’s presentation on the state of contamination, the agency reported that, in comminuted (diced and ground) chicken, 54.5% of establishments fail the salmonella standards and that contamination in these products has seen a sharp increase over the last two years. The status quo cannot be allowed to continue; both industry and USDA must take responsibility for these unchecked levels of contamination and prioritize protecting public health. 

Farm Forward continues in its commitment to demanding meaningful salmonella regulation in the poultry industry. To learn more about our ongoing work in this area, check out our full investigative report and issue brief on regulatory failures in salmonella control, and deeper dives into Costco’s and Butterball’s contamination problems and how you can find out if you’re buying contaminated products.