Prevention and Reduction of Salmonella in Organic Poultry through Decontamination, Packaging, and Policy

Salmonella is a prevalent bacterial disease found most commonly among produce and poultry that are undercooked and mishandled. This infectious bacteria often harms older adults, children under six, and the immunocompromised, while leading to millions of infections globally on an annual basis. To prevent infection rates from increasing, producers and consumers on a national and international level must hone in on a myriad of techniques to stop the spread of Salmonella in food products. To address these techniques, we focused our research on Salmonella prevention via the packaging industry of organic chicken while emphasizing cost-effective solutions. To obtain our information, we used several scholarly databases, research articles, and government regulations that addressed Salmonella, its prevention techniques, cost-effective solutions, and organic poultry in order to conduct a nonsystematic literature review. While chicken and other poultry can become contaminated by a surplus of other bacteria, Salmonella taints chicken most frequently through mishandling and other natural reasons, such as bacterial presence within the natural environment. Basing our research on this knowledge, we looked at past and current preventative measures to identify potential cost-effective solutions that targeted the pre-packaging, packaging, and post-packaging aspects of the organic chicken industry. We specifically placed an emphasis on organic acids that decontaminate poultry of Salmonella, chitosan nanofibers that strengthen packaging while providing antimicrobial prevention, and employee/industry regulations that aid in preventing cross-contamination in processing. These solutions help address all aspects of packaging, from start to finish. Furthermore, these solutions can hopefully address the ongoing issue of Salmonella infections, to ensure that the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-Being (3), and Decent Work and Economic Growth (8) are promoted on a national and global level.