Chicken Checker: Look Up the Salmonella Rates Where Your Poultry Was Processed

Chicken Checker 🐔🦃

See how often salmonella was found at the plant that processed your chicken or turkey.

by Andrea Suozzo, Ash Ngu, Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung, Oct. 29, 2021. Updated Aug. 29, 2022

Find the P-number on a package of raw chicken or turkey.

P-number shown in different places on product packaging: near use-by date, inspection stamp or price tag.

We’ll show you how often the USDA found salmonella at the plant that processed it.

How do I find the P-number?

Look for the P-number on your package of raw chicken or turkey. It is often printed near a use-by date, inspection stamp or price tag. The USDA calls this an “establishment number.”

I can’t find the P-number.

Some poultry products repackaged for sale are exempt from federal labeling requirements. If your poultry is not labelled with an establishment number, the USDA recommends checking with the store where the product was purchased or calling the agency’s consumer hotline at 1-888-674-6854.

Help ProPublica track the poultry supply chain. Tell us where you shopped.

How does salmonella get into chicken and turkey?

Chickens and turkeys carry salmonella in their guts. In the U.S., poultry can be raised in crowded conditions where the bacteria can easily spread. By the time the birds are sent to slaughter, their skin and feathers are often highly contaminated with salmonella. Processing can result in further cross-contamination. Salmonella is found less frequently in less processed poultry.

Less salmonella on average

More salmonella on average

Whole

turkey

Whole

chicken

Chicken

parts

Ground

turkey

Ground

chicken

*on average

How many people get sick from salmonella annually?

Salmonella hospitalizes and kills more people in the U.S. than any other foodborne pathogen, with about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations and more than 400 deaths each year. While most people recover, some are left with long-term conditions like arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome.

Read the Investigation

America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick.

For years, a dangerous salmonella strain has sickened thousands and continues to spread through the chicken industry. The USDA knows about it. So do the companies. And yet, contaminated meat continues to be sold to consumers.

See poultry plants by state

Roughly 600 plants process most of the chicken and turkey sold in the U.S.

Help ProPublica report on food safety by tracking the poultry supply chain

ProPublica wants to know more about where your poultry comes from, but it’s not publicly known which processing plants supply which stores. You can help us piece together the poultry supply chain by telling us where you purchased your chicken or turkey.