As China’s economy and population continue to grow, Chinese families are turning increasingly toward poultry as a food of choice. China is the world’s second largest producer and consumer of poultry, and producers are recognizing that their methods of raising chickens need to evolve in order to improve food safety standards and keep consumers’ trust.

This project, which involves University of Arkansas, South China Agricultural University, China Agricultural University, Zhejiang University and Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences and three poultry companies including New Hope Liuhe, Shengnong and Jiangfeng in China, aims to monitor and develop control strategies to better mitigate causes of contamination in Chinese poultry supply chains. The project, with funding from a Walmart Foundation grant, aims to accomplish these goals through robust monitoring, piloting in-field detection technologies, testing strategic interventions at critical nodes and developing a user-friendly dynamic risk assessment model for Salmonella and residues of a class of medically sensitive antibiotics. The involved companies will provide samples and open up their supply chains to researchers while the GMOA will test samples and provide certifications. The project will also involve numerous stakeholders, collaborating and sharing findings with parties from farm to retail.