Recent publicity about Salmonella contamination in poultry and the report of the National Research Council (NRC) on poultry inspection have focused public attention on the problem of microbial contamination in commercially processed poultry. Despite the public perception that such contamination is a relatively new phenomenon, benchmark studies over the years indicate this is not the case. New solutions to the problem have been suggested by the NRC and others, but the fundamental nature of the problem has remained the same. Food Safety and Inspection Service programs to deal with the problem will need to be supplemented by efforts by other agencies and the industry and consumer sectors if significant public health gains are to be achieved.