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

Agri Star Meat and Poultry, Postville, Iowa
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P4653A • Medium plant Data from March 2021 to March 2022

How This Plant Compares
High-risk salmonella was found more often on the chicken parts at this Agri Star Meat and Poultry plant than at other poultry plants.
How Likely Am I To Get Sick?

Your likelihood of getting sick depends on many factors, including: how the poultry is cooked and handled; your immune system; and the quantity and types of salmonella present. “High-risk” salmonella strains are more likely to cause illness than “low-risk” types. According to the CDC, if you avoid cross-contamination and cook the poultry to 165°F, the meat should be safe to eat even if it had high-risk salmonella. Learn more about safe handling and cooking techniques from the CDC.

Help ProPublica track the poultry supply chain. Tell us where you shopped.
Did This Plant Meet The USDA Standard For Chicken Parts?

This plant met the USDA standard for chicken parts because salmonella was found in less than 15.4% of samples. In total, 9.1% of the chicken parts samples had salmonella of any type. Plants can still meet USDA standards even if they have rates of high-risk salmonella that are above the industry median because the standards focus on all salmonella rather than the types most likely to make people sick.

Routine Testing Results

The USDA tested 22 chicken parts samples from this plant over the past year. The plant processed an estimated 1 million to 10 million pounds of meat and poultry in total each month.

High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 2
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 20
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No chicken parts tested: 343
High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 2
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 20
No chicken parts tested: 343
Multiple samples were taken on days marked with an *
Types of Salmonella Found

There are more than 2,500 types of salmonella, but fewer than 100 account for most human infections. Below are the types of salmonella found in this plant’s chicken parts. The USDA does not measure the quantity of salmonella in each poultry sample, only whether or not salmonella is present.

The reported number of cases below are from the 10 states that participate in the CDC’s surveillance program and include cases linked to consumption of all foods, including poultry. These numbers are known undercounts— the CDC estimates that almost 30 cases of salmonella illness go unreported for every case that is confirmed by a lab.

Braenderup is a high-risk type of salmonella that was found in one of the plant’s chicken parts samples. From 2011 to 2020, Braenderup caused at least 1,238 salmonella infections in the U.S. Of those, 323 (26%) people were hospitalized and three (0.2%) people died.

Infantis is a high-risk type of salmonella that was found in one of the plant’s chicken parts samples. From 2011 to 2020, Infantis caused at least 1,852 salmonella infections in the U.S. Of those, 479 (26%) people were hospitalized and five (0.3%) people died.

How This Plant Compares
No high-risk salmonella was found on the whole chicken at this Agri Star Meat and Poultry plant.
How Likely Am I To Get Sick?

Your likelihood of getting sick depends on many factors, including: how the poultry is cooked and handled; your immune system; and the quantity and types of salmonella present. “High-risk” salmonella strains are more likely to cause illness than “low-risk” types. According to the CDC, if you avoid cross-contamination and cook the poultry to 165°F, the meat should be safe to eat even if it had high-risk salmonella. Learn more about safe handling and cooking techniques from the CDC.

Help ProPublica track the poultry supply chain. Tell us where you shopped.
Did This Plant Meet The USDA Standard For Whole Chicken?

This plant met the USDA standard for whole chicken because salmonella was found in less than 9.8% of samples. In total, none of the whole chicken samples had salmonella of any type.

Routine Testing Results

The USDA tested 21 whole chicken samples from this plant over the past year. The plant processed an estimated 1 million to 10 million pounds of meat and poultry in total each month.

High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 21
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No whole chicken tested: 344
High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 21
No whole chicken tested: 344
Multiple samples were taken on days marked with an *
How This Plant Compares
No high-risk salmonella was found on the whole turkey at this Agri Star Meat and Poultry plant.
How Likely Am I To Get Sick?

Your likelihood of getting sick depends on many factors, including: how the poultry is cooked and handled; your immune system; and the quantity and types of salmonella present. “High-risk” salmonella strains are more likely to cause illness than “low-risk” types. According to the CDC, if you avoid cross-contamination and cook the poultry to 165°F, the meat should be safe to eat even if it had high-risk salmonella. Learn more about safe handling and cooking techniques from the CDC.

Help ProPublica track the poultry supply chain. Tell us where you shopped.
Did This Plant Meet The USDA Standard For Whole Turkey?

This plant met the USDA standard for whole turkey because salmonella was found in less than 7.1% of samples. In total, none of the whole turkey samples had salmonella of any type.

Routine Testing Results

The USDA tested 15 whole turkey samples from this plant over the past year. The plant processed an estimated 1 million to 10 million pounds of meat and poultry in total each month.

High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 15
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No whole turkey tested: 350
High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 15
No whole turkey tested: 350
Multiple samples were taken on days marked with an *
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There are more than 2,500 types of salmonella. “High-risk” types more commonly cause people to get sick, according to the CDC. “Low-risk” types are rarely linked to illness in the United States.
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