
Consumer advocates are sharply questioning the government's handling of the ongoing, 26-state Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak that sparked a 36 million pound ground turkey recall from meat giant Cargill Wednesday night. In May, CSPI petitioned USDA to declare antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg, Salmonella Newport, Salmonella Hadar, and Salmonella Typhimurium "adulterants" under federal law, making products that contain them illegal to sell. USDA only recalls products contaminated with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella after those products have been definitively tied to illnesses. Poultry plants are tested periodically for Salmonella, according to Goldman, and Cargill's Springdale plant was tested last year. Local, state, and federal public health officials are working to identify and link illnesses to the outbreak.