CHICKEN NOT MAIN SALMONELLA CAUSE, OFFICIAL SAYS A representative of the poultry industry said statistics showed that chicken is less frequently the cause of salmonella poisoning than beef, dairy products or salads and other mixed foods. Kenneth May, President of Holly Farms Poultry Industries and a director of the National Broiler Council, told a House Agriculture subcommittee the incidence of salmonella in chicken has not increased in recent years and that chicken is neither the major source of the bacterial poisoning nor the cause of an increase in outbreaks of the disease. May said the Center for Disease Control figures showed that between 1978 and 1982, chicken was involved in four pct of all U.S. salmonellosis outbreaks, while beef accounted for ten pct of outbreaks and dairy products six pct. May said the remaining outbreaks were caused by salads and mixed food, turkey, seafood, pork, eggs and other foods. May said the chicken industry favored moving away from bird-by-bird inspection procedures to a risk assessment system better able to identify microbial and bacterial contamination of poultry. However, Ellen Haas, executive director of Public Voice for Food and Health Policy, said bird-by-bird inspection should be retained and labels should be attached to each ready-to-cook chicken to remind consumers about preparation procedures necessary to avoid illness. Haas also called for a review of present chicken industry inspection methods that she said can worsen poultry hazards.