The National Chicken Council and the Congressional Chicken Caucus (CCC) hosted a food safety briefing on Capitol Hill for congressional staff on Thursday. As part of an ongoing briefing series for CCC members and Agriculture Committee staff, NCC’s Dr. Ashley Peterson provided an in-depth presentation on the latest food safety issues facing the industry.  Topics included issues prevalent in the media, including salmonella reduction initiatives; the modernization of the poultry slaughter rule–its history and its current status; and the myths and facts regarding antibiotic use in animal agriculture.

The event was well attended, with over 50 percent of CCC offices participating.  Dr. Peterson concluded with a Q&A session, where staff posed questions on antibiotic use and the avian influenza implications from the recent outbreak n Arkansas. The next CCC briefing will be held later this summer with topics to be determined.