Microbial Food Safety in the Maryland Direct-to-Consumer Poultry Supply Chain

Direct-to-consumer food marketing is a growing niche in the United States food supply chain. Food animal producers who use direct marketing may employ different production models and standard practices from producers selling animal products to the conventional food system. Direct-to-consumer food supply chains (generally and specifically regarding food animal products) are relatively unexplored in food safety and health research. We conducted a cross-sectional, market-basket analysis of the Maryland direct-to-consumer poultry supply chain to assess food safety. We analyzed 40 direct-to-consumer commercial poultry meat products (one product per farm) for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. using culture-based methods. Isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. E. coli and S. aureus were recovered from 9/40 (23%) and 12/40 (30%) of poultry meat samples, respectively. Of interest for comparing direct-market and mainstream supply chains for food safety risks, no Salmonella isolates were recovered from any direct-market sampled poultry products and no multidrug resistance was observed in E. coli and S. aureus isolates. Microbial outcomes were compared to a survey of poultry production and processing practices within the same study population. Importance This study demonstrates substantially lower rates of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) microbial pathogens in the market-basket products from Maryland direct-market broiler poultry supply chain compared to rates of AMR in the conventional supply chain for similar retail meat products from NARMS. We further describe the landscape of the statewide supply chain for direct-market poultry, focusing on characteristics related to risk management strategies applied to microbial food safety. These findings are of public health significance for both the research and policy communities; these data provide an initial evidence base for more targeted research evaluating potential risk factors for microbial food safety in the direct-to-consumer supply chain. These data will also assist the Maryland Department of Agriculture and other state-level agencies with oversight of food safety issues to guide policy efforts for direct-market poultry production and sales.