The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) did not consider Shiga-toxin E.coli an adulterant in meat products until Bill Marler of Marler-Clark petitioned for it to be declared as one. He is now petitioning for 31 'Salmonella Outbreak Serovars' to be declared as adulterants in meat and poultry products. 

Bill Marler claims how each of these serotypes has a history of being injurious to human health and that they all have been associated with numerous recalls. There have been previous attempts to declare antibiotic-resistant Salmonella serovars as adulterants with petitions filed along with subsequent lawsuits; however, all petitions were denied, and lawsuits were withdrawn. 

This petition states that the 10 most prevalent Salmonella serotypes are responsible for  59% of all non-typhoid Salmonella (NTS)- associated human illnesses and that the top three serovars cause 41 % of Salmonella-related human disease.