Foodborne diseases and poultry production

In spite of significant improvement in technology and hygienic practices in developed countries at all stages of poultry production foodborne diseases remain a persistent threat to human and animal health. Beside the current legislations, the main strategy to control microbial food borne hazards should include Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHPs) at the farm level through sound hygienic measures, applied in poultry houses, environment and feed manufacture, as well as reducing colonization with feed additives, competitive exclusion, treatment or vaccines. Furthermore, hygienic measure should also be considered during transport and slaughtering. In all cases, surveillance and monitoring programmes must be adapted and followed strictly in aim to allow early intervention. In addition, the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria will also be a continuous public health hazard.The present paper describes the main strategy to control food borne infections in poultry, with special attention to European legislations toward safe poultry meat.