SALMONELLA REMAINS A PERSISTENT FOOD SAFETY CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY IN POULTRY PRODUCTS LIKE GROUND TURKEY, WHICH ARE A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF HUMAN ILLNESS IN THE UNITED STATES. DESPITE MANY EFFORTS TO REDUCE CONTAMINATION, SALMONELLA CONTINUES TO CAUSE OUTBREAKS, HIGHLIGHTING THE NEED FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AND WHERE IT APPEARS DURING TURKEY PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING. TRADITIONALLY, FOOD SAFETY CONTROLS HAVE FOCUSED ON GENERAL PRACTICES TO REDUCE CONTAMINATION ACROSS THE BOARD. HOWEVER, RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THESE EFFORTS MAY OVERLOOK KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOW SALMONELLA SURVIVES ON THE SURFACE (EXTERNAL CONTAMINATION) VERSUS INSIDE THE BIRD (INTERNAL CONTAMINATION). THIS PROJECT AIMS TO ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL GAP IN UNDERSTANDING BY INVESTIGATING SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION AT THE LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL TURKEY CARCASSES AS THEY MOVE THROUGH PROCESSING.WHILE REGULATORY AGENCIES LIKE THE USDA'S FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE (FSIS) HAVE MADE PROGRESS IN REDUCING SALMONELLA LEVELS IN POULTRY, CURRENT PUBLIC DATA AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES ARE LIMITED, PARTICULARLY FOR TURKEYS, WHICH DIFFER FROM MORE COMMONLY STUDIED BROILERS. AS REGULATORY EXPECTATIONS INCREASE, THE TURKEY INDUSTRY LACKS DETAILED, SCIENCE-BASED INFORMATION NEEDED TO GUIDE BETTER CONTROL STRATEGIES, PRODUCT TESTING, AND FOOD SAFETY DECISIONS. THERE IS ALSO GROWING INTEREST IN UNDERSTANDING MICROBIAL INDEPENDENCE, OR HOW CONTAMINATION IN ONE BIRD MAY (OR MAY NOT) RELATE TO CONTAMINATION IN ANOTHER DURING PROCESSING. THIS MATTERS BECAUSE SUCH INFORMATION CAN HELP PRODUCERS DEFINE LOTS OF PRODUCT MORE ACCURATELY AND USE RISK-BASED SAMPLING METHODS THAT ARE BOTH EFFECTIVE AND PRACTICAL.TO FILL THESE CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAPS, THIS RESEARCH FOLLOWS A DETAILED PLAN WITH THREE MAJOR AIMS. THE FIRST AIM IS TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION VARIES FROM ONE TURKEY CARCASS TO ANOTHER DURING PROCESSING, AND TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CONTAMINATION. RESEARCHERS WILL COLLECT SAMPLES FROM THE SAME BIRDS AT MULTIPLE PROCESSING POINTS, FROM EARLY STAGES LIKE PRE-SCALD TO FINAL PRODUCTS LIKE GROUND TURKEY. THEY WILL USE ADVANCED TOOLS, INCLUDING RAPID DETECTION METHODS, MICROBIAL COUNTS, AND DEEP GENETIC TYPING (CRISPR-SEROSEQ), TO TRACK HOW SALMONELLA BEHAVES AT EACH STAGE. THIS WILL REVEAL WHICH TYPES (SEROTYPES) OF SALMONELLA ARE MOST COMMON AND WHETHER THEY POSE A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN.THE SECOND AIM IS TO USE THE DATA TO BUILD A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW SALMONELLA POPULATIONS BEHAVE DURING PROCESSING. BY ANALYZING BOTH MICROBIAL LEVELS AND SEROTYPES, RESEARCHERS WILL IDENTIFY PATTERNS THAT SHOW HOW PROCESSING STEPS LIKE WASHING, CHILLING, AND GRINDING AFFECT INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONTAMINATION DIFFERENTLY. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WILL MODEL HOW MUCH CONTAMINATION IS REDUCED BY SURFACE TREATMENTS (SUCH AS SANITARY DRESSING) AND WHETHER INTERNAL CONTAMINATION RE-EMERGES LATER IN GROUND PRODUCT. THIS MODELING ALSO INCLUDES STATISTICAL TOOLS TO DETE,CT WHETHER CONTAMINATION IN ONE BIRD MIGHT BE LINKED TO ANOTHER, HELPING TO DETERMINE MICROBIAL INDEPENDENCE. THESE INSIGHTS CAN GUIDE SMARTER PROCESS CONTROLS AND LOTTING STRATEGIES, MAKING IT EASIER FOR PROCESSORS TO IDENTIFY WHEN A PROBLEM STARTS AND HOW FAR IT MIGHT SPREAD.THE THIRD AIM IS TO APPLY THIS FRAMEWORK IN REAL-WORLD SETTINGS TO IMPROVE HOW THE TURKEY INDUSTRY APPROACHES SALMONELLA CONTROL. THIS INCLUDES WORKING DIRECTLY WITH A COMMERCIAL TURKEY PROCESSOR TO TEST THE FRAMEWORK UNDER PRODUCTION CONDITIONS, AND ORGANIZING COLLABORATIVE SESSIONS WITH INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS. THESE CO-CREATION MEETINGS WILL ENSURE THAT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NOT ONLY SCIENTIFICALLY SOUND BUT ALSO REALISTIC AND USEFUL FOR PROCESSORS. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO CREATE DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES THAT ALLOW THE TURKEY INDUSTRY TO TAKE A MORE PROACTIVE ROLE IN FOOD SAFETY, IDENTIFYING THE MOST CRITICAL POINTS FOR INTERVENTION AND TARGETING EFFORTS WHERE THEY WILL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT.THIS WORK IS CARRIED OUT BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM WITH EXPERTISE IN MICROBIOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY, POULTRY SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE, AND FOOD SAFETY REGULATION. THE TEAM'S COMBINED EXPERIENCE ENSURES THAT FINDINGS WILL BE SCIENTIFICALLY RIGOROUS, PRACTICALLY RELEVANT, AND TAILORED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF BOTH REGULATORS AND INDUSTRY. BY COMBINING LABORATORY METHODS, STATISTICAL MODELING, AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATION, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO TRANSFORM HOW WE UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE SALMONELLA IN TURKEY PRODUCTION. IT WILL PROVIDE KEY DATA THAT CAN SHAPE SMARTER REGULATIONS, REDUCE FOODBORNE ILLNESS, AND MAKE TURKEY PRODUCTS SAFER FOR CONSUMERS.