Presence of PFAS in Incoming Potable Water Supplies to Poultry Processing Facilities: U.S. Poultry Foundation Approves Research Initiative Topic

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (“USPOULTRY”) and USPOULTRY Foundation issued a September 8th news release referencing approval of a new Board Research Initiative (“BRI”) topic addressing:

Presence of PFAS in Incoming Potable Water Supplies to Poultry Processing Facilities (“PFAS Initiative”).

Three other BRI topics were approved by these organizations, including:

• Colibacillosis in Commercial Layers
• Reduced Fertility in Broiler Breeders
• On-Farm Depopulation Using Nitrogen

The Board of Directors for both organizations is stated to have approved the topics following recommendations from the Foundation Research Advisory Committee. The Committee  assesses research proposals for their relevance to the industry and advises the boards on funding decisions. The BRI is stated to have been established by the boards of those two organizations to address urgent challenges facing the poultry and egg industry.

The PFAS Initiative is described as:

… Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants that have become an increasing regulatory and food safety concern. As federal and state agencies expand PFAS monitoring and establish drinking water standards, the poultry industry has limited scientific information on whether PFAS in incoming potable water used during processing contributes to residues in poultry products, by-products, wastewater or biosolids. Research is needed to better understand PFAS occurrence, potential transfer pathways, and distribution throughout poultry processing operations to inform future risk assessments, regulatory decisions and mitigation strategies.

The two organizations are described as:

• U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) is the All Feather Association progressively serving its poultry and egg members through research, education, communications and technical services. Founded in 1947, USPOULTRY is based in Tucker, Georgia.
• The USPOULTRY Foundation's mission is to support the recruitment and training of the brightest students, seek and fund scientific research, foster student scientists and promote careers in the poultry and egg industry.

A copy of the news release can be found here.