Cargill Meat Solutions, Springdale, Ark.
P963 • Large plant • Data from March 2021 to March 2022
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.
This plant failed the USDA standard for ground turkey because salmonella was found in more than 13.5% of samples. In total, 15.3% of the ground turkey samples had salmonella of any type.
Plants that fail this standard are required to undergo additional USDA testing and may face additional scrutiny. But the USDA does not have the authority to shut down facilities even when their salmonella rates repeatedly exceed the agency’s thresholds.
The USDA tested 59 ground turkey samples from this plant over the past year. The plant processed over 10 million pounds of meat and poultry in total each month.
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 turkey. The USDA does not measure the quantity of salmonella in each poultry sample, only whether or not salmonella is present.
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.
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.
The USDA tested 58 whole turkey samples from this plant over the past year. The plant processed over 10 million pounds of meat and poultry in total each month.