How This Plant Compares
High-risk salmonella
was found
less often
on the ground chicken at this
Encore Sausage Company 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.
Did This Plant Meet The USDA Standard For Ground Chicken?
This plant
met the USDA standard for ground chicken
because salmonella was found in less than
25.0%
of samples.
In total,
10.7%
of the ground chicken samples had salmonella of any type.
Routine Testing Results
The USDA tested 28 ground chicken samples from this plant over the past year.
The plant processed
an estimated 100,000 to 1 million pounds of meat and poultry
in total each month.
High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 2
No salmonella found: 25
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 1
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No ground chicken tested: 337
High-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 0
Low-risk salmonella, not antibiotic-resistant: 2
High-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 1
Low-risk, antibiotic-resistant: 0
No salmonella found: 25
No ground chicken tested: 337
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 ground chicken. 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.
Infantis
is a
high-risk type of salmonella that was found in
one
of the plant’s
ground chicken 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.
Kentucky
is a
low-risk type of salmonella that was found in
two
of the plant’s
ground chicken samples.
From 2011 to 2020, Kentucky caused at least
119 salmonella infections in the U.S. Of those,
23 (19%)
people were hospitalized. No deaths were reported.