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 and using culture-based methods. Isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. and 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 isolates were recovered from any direct-market sampled poultry products and no multidrug resistance was observed in and isolates. Microbial outcomes were compared to a survey of poultry production and processing practices within the same study population.