I I A 0 I 5l00 WISCONSIN AVENUE. N.W. - sum: 400 200March 14, 2013 The Honorable Sanford Bishop Congressional Chicken Caucus Co-Chairman 2429 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515-1002 Dear Congressman Bishop: On March 14, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the U.S. Department of Agriculture urging the agency to regulate feces in meat and chicken products as an adulterant and place labels on chicken products alerting consumers to fecal contamination. Georgia is one of the nation's largest chicken producing states and will be the most affected by stricter compliance standards. The Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act require the USDA to inspect all meat and chicken and to condemn any adulterated products. Toward those ends, the USDA maintains a purported zero-tolerance policy for fecal contamination. Consumers assume that this policy guarantees that the products they eat are not tainted with fecal matter. In practice, however, enforcement standards are lax, allowing fecal contamination as long as the feces are not touching chicken skin or visible to the naked eye. Almost half the chicken products sold in supermarkets are contaminated with feces, according to independent tests commissioned by the Physicians Committee of chicken samples from 15 grocery store chains in 10 major cities. Further, a 2009 USDA study found that 87 percent of chicken carcasses tested positive for generic E. coli, a sign of fecal contamination, just prior to packaging. These numbers are not surprising given the current inspection policy. In a sworn affidavit, a federal inspector described the process: the fecal contamination is not touching the bird's skin, it is not considered fecal contamination. We often see birds going down the line with intestines still attached, which are full of fecal contamination. If there is no fecal contamination on the bird's skin, however, We can do nothing to stop that bird from going down that line. It is more than reasonable to assume that once the bird gets into the chill tank (a large vat of cold water), that contamination will enter the water and contaminate all of the other carcasses in the chiller. That's why it is sometimes called 'fecal soup.'" The USDA's current policy deems any product without visible feces "wholesome," misleading consumers who expect a wholesome product to be free of animal feces. To protect consumers from exposure to feces, USDA must regulate feces as an adulterant and place labels on chicken products alerting consumers to fecal contamination. The Physicians Committee encourages you to support the enclosed petition and work with regulators in your state now to reduce fecal contamination in our nation's food supply. Sincerely, W/ah Mark Kennedy, Esq. Director of Legal Affairs Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine