The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a public health alert and recall for Foster Farms chicken products. Originally, the alert came in October 2013 and the outbreak appeared to be over. However, an update and ongoing investigation indicated that the outbreak was still ongoing.

According to USA Today, over a million pounds of chicken was recalled due to concerns about Salmonella. It was all sold fresh, so none of it was still available in stores, but may be in customers’ freezers. The chicken would have the establishment number “P6137,” P6137A” or “P7632” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label. Foster Farms also has a list of products involved in the recall on its website.

According to HealthDay, the United States has seen a decline in the number of Salmonella illnesses in recent years, but there has been very little progress overall in reducing food poisoning outbreaks.  A recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied trends of foodborne illness, which was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

In 2013, the rate of Salmonella infections fell by 9 percent, compared with the rate in 2010-2012.  However, the current rate of Salmonella infections of 15 cases per 100,000 people is still below the goal of 11.4 per 100,000.  Salmonella still remains the most frequent cause of food poisoning, accounting for 38 percent of all cases.