The extensive circulation of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, and the human health threat that it poses, has raised concerns over the food safety implications of this virus infecting poultry. In addition, among the most important risk factors for the possible emergence of avian influenza in the European Union and the United States, the European and Food Safety Agency and the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, respectively, have identified legal and illegal importations of infected poultry commodities. The present paper reviews existing knowledge on the presence of viable avian influenza viruses in poultry commodities.