Chicken Checker

Find the P-number on a package of raw chicken or turkey.

How do I find the P-number?

Look for the P-number on your package of raw chicken or turkey. It is often printed near a use-by date, inspection stamp or price tag. The USDA calls this an “establishment number.”

I can’t find the P-number.

Some poultry products repackaged for sale are exempt from federal labeling requirements. If your poultry is not labelled with an establishment number, the USDA recommends checking with the store where the product was purchased or calling the agency’s consumer hotline at 1-888-674-6854.
Help ProPublica track the poultry supply chain. Tell us where you shopped.
How does salmonella get into chicken and turkey?

Chickens and turkeys carry salmonella in their guts. In the U.S., poultry can be raised in crowded conditions where the bacteria can easily spread. By the time the birds are sent to slaughter, their skin and feathers are often highly contaminated with salmonella. Processing can result in further cross-contamination. Salmonella is found less frequently in less processed poultry.

Range of different types of poultry from less salmonella on average to more salmonella on average: whole turkey, whole chicken, chicken parts, ground turkey, ground chicken.

 

How many people get sick from salmonella annually?

Salmonella hospitalizes and kills more people in the U.S. than any other foodborne pathogen, with about 1.35 million illnesses, 26,500 hospitalizations and more than 400 deaths each year. While most people recover, some are left with long-term conditions like arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome.

Roughly 600 plants process most of the chicken and turkey sold in the U.S.