USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
FSIS Intends to Exclude Vaccine Strains from the FSIS Salmonella Performance Categorization In December 2021, FSIS announced that as a part of its ongoing efforts to reduce foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella, FSIS would be inviting poultry slaughter and processing establishments to submit proposals for pilot projects to test [...]
WASHINGTON, March 1, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) commends the appointment by the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) of Dr. Kis Robertson Hale as Chief Veterinarian Officer. Dr. Robertson Hale is a Rear Admiral in the USPHS [...]
FSIS Extends Time-Limited Trials at NSIS Establishments In March 2021, a court order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota vacated the component of USDA’s New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS) that eliminated line speed limits for participating establishments. As a [...]
FSIS Update on Chlorpyrifos Tolerances An April 15, 2022 Constituent Update entry, titled Revocation of Chlorpyrifos Tolerances, explained that on October 1, 2022, FSIS will consider any detection of chlorpyrifos residue in domestic or imported meat, poultry or egg products produced on or after February [...]
FSIS Publishes Privacy Act Exemption for AssuranceNet Final Rule On February 20, 2024, FSIS will publish the final rule “Privacy Act Exemption for AssuranceNet” In the Federal Register. The final rule exempts certain records maintained by its AssuranceNet (ANet) system of records from the notification [...]
FSIS to Onboard Additional Countries to PHIS Export Component Starting May 20, 2024, export certificates for meat and poultry products (excluding casings and egg products) exported to 21 additional countries will be generated in FSIS’ Public Health Information System (PHIS). The additional countries are: Barbados; [...]
When it comes to food safety during the big game, you can’t just wing it. Chicken wings are one of the most popular foods to eat during the Super Bowl, and USDA has some tips to keep foodborne illness from intercepting your Super Bowl Sunday. [...]
FSIS Highlights 2023 Accomplishments in Protecting Public Health and Strengthening the Food Supply Chain On January 31, FSIS announced its key achievements in 2023 that protected public health through food safety and strengthened the food supply chain. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is focused [...]
Food Safety News Release Thursday, February 01 2024 Public Affairs Specialist Kenneth King, USDA-FSIS Pineapple on pizza is up for debate, but food safety is not. When including pizza in your Super Bowl party, make sure food safety is included in the toppings. Read More [...]
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today announced its key achievements in 2023 that protected public health through food safety and strengthened the food supply chain. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is focused [...]
Food Safety News Release Monday, January 29 2024 Safely serving friends and family during the big game is a win for everyone; don’t fumble it this Super Bowl Sunday. February 11 kicks off Super Bowl LVIII, and football fans will be huddling up to watch [...]
NACMCF Report Published in the Journal of Food Protection On January 19, a report by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was published in the Journal of Food Protection. The report, “Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service: [...]
FSIS Publishes Notice to Resume Cecal Sampling in Sheep and Lamb FSIS is announcing the resumption of cecal sampling in sheep and lamb on February 1, 2024. During 2020–2022, FSIS collected and analyzed cecal samples from sheep and lamb as part of exploratory sampling. During [...]
FSIS Names Food Safety Fellows for FY2024 FSIS has selected two Food Safety Fellows through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) program. The Fellows are students currently working towards their Ph.D. and have an interest in improving food safety and public health. [...]
FSIS to Update MPI Directory and Establishment Demographic Data Files FSIS plans to enhance the Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection (MPI) Directory and the Establishment Demographic Data (MPI Supplement) files to increase transparency by providing additional data on establishment demographics, slaughter, and processing activities. [...]
Note: FSIS will be publishing the next Constituent Update on Friday, January 5, 2024, due to the holiday season. FSIS Appoints New Chief Scientist Effective Dec. 31, 2023, Dr. Michelle Catlin will serve as Chief Scientist of FSIS. In this role, Dr. Catlin will serve [...]
Food Safety News Release Tuesday, November 14 2023 JESUS GARCIA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST, FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION STAFF The busiest time of the year for the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline is the week before Thanksgiving. Calls, chats and emails are answered by food safety specialists [...]
FSIS Posts Quarterly Updates to Establishment-Specific Datasets On October 6, 2023, FSIS posted quarterly updates to the following establishment-specific datasets: Establishment-specific Datasets on Laboratory Sampling Egg Product Sampling Data Intensified Verification Testing Data Raw Beef Sampling Data Raw Pork Products Sampling Data Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Meat [...]
Food Safety News Release Wednesday, November 15 2023 JESUS GARCIA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST, FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION STAFF Here’s an important Thanksgiving food safety tip that will surprise many: USDA doesn’t recommend stuffing a whole turkey. The practice increases the risk of cross-contamination and takes the [...]
FSIS Announces Fiscal Year 2024 Dioxin Survey On November 1, 2023, FSIS will begin a one-year sampling program of domestic beef, pork, and Siluriformes fish to determine levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. This survey is part of FSIS’ effort to monitor dioxin in regulated [...]
News Release Friday, October 27 2023 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the appointment of 21 new members and nine returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The purpose of the committee is to provide impartial scientific [...]
Reminder: FSIS Encourages Industry to Prepare for CY 2024 Mexico PHIS Onboarding As announced in the June 23, 2023, Constituent Update, FSIS is planning to onboard Mexico in the Public Health Information System (PHIS) export component in calendar year (CY) 2024, at a date to [...]
FSIS Extends Time-Limited Trials at NSIS Establishments In March 2021, a court order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota vacated the component of USDA’s New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS) that eliminated line speed limits for participating establishments. As a [...]
Make Food Safety a Priority this Holiday Season The holiday season is here, which means festive gatherings with friends and family. As holiday potlucks start filling up our calendars, let’s be mindful of the foods filling up our stomachs by avoiding foodborne illness. Always safely [...]
Gamola Fortenberry, Uday Dessai, Catherine Rockwell, Bonnie Kissler and Sheryl Shaw, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) is a national public health surveillance system through which FSIS partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the [...]
Cameron Carow, Gamola Fortenberry, Uday Dessai, Catherine Rockwell, Bonnie Kissler and Sheryl Shaw, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in-plant personnel are responsible for inspection of meat, poultry and egg products. The work [...]
Note: FSIS will be publishing the next Constituent Update on Friday, December 1, 2023, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. IFSAC Releases Annual Report for 2021 on Sources of Foodborne Illness The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration’s (IFSAC) newest annual report, “Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for [...]
Uday Dessai, Gamola Fortenberry, Catherine Rockwell, Berhanu Tameru, Evelyn Crish, Jovita Haro, Bonnie Kissler and Sheryl Shaw, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service For several decades, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been a recognized public health threat in the United States and across the globe. AMR [...]
Upcoming NACMCF Subcommittee Meeting The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) Genomics Subcommittee will convene a virtual meeting on December 18, 2023, from 1-2 p.m., ET. To request to attend the subcommittee meeting, please contact the NACMCF Secretariat at [email protected]. For more [...]
FSIS Posts FY 2024 Annual Plan FSIS has posted to its website the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Annual Plan. The annual plan details the ways the agency will achieve its fiscal year goals, which include preventing foodborne illness and protecting public health; transforming inspection systems, [...]
USDA Appoints New Members to Food Safety Advisory Committee On Oct. 27, 2023, USDA announced the appointment of 21 new members and nine returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). NACMCF provides impartial scientific advice and recommendations to the [...]
Food Safety News Release Thursday, November 09 2023 JESUS GARCIA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST, FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION STAFF It’s finally November. To beat the crowds, you rush to your grocery store to buy a turkey. If this is your first time, you’re faced with a dilemma: [...]
FSIS Celebrates One Health Day Today marks the eighth annual One Health Day, a global campaign to raise awareness about the interconnection between the health of people, animals, plants and their shared environment. This day promotes the importance of collaborations between human, veterinary, and environmental [...]
Food Safety News Release Monday, November 13 2023 America’s biggest food holiday is almost here, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants to remind consumers to avoid habits that increase the risk of harmful bacteria in their Thanksgiving meal. “Unsafe handling and undercooking your [...]
Paraguay’s Eligibility to Export Raw Beef Products to the United States On November 9, 2023, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a final rule to allow the importation of fresh beef from Paraguay under certain conditions. The final rule will enable raw [...]
News Release Monday, March 11 2024 Today, at the National Farmers Union Annual Convention, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the finalization of a rule to align the voluntary “Product of USA” label claim with consumer understanding of what the claim means. Secretary [...]
USDA Finalizes New Requirements for the Voluntary “Product of USA” Labeling Claim On March 11, 2024, FSIS announced a final rule with new regulatory requirements to better align the voluntary “Product of USA” claim with consumers’ understanding of what the claim means. The final rule [...]
It’s a special time of year, where friends and family from coast to coast will gather for a rare occurrence: the three major holidays of Easter, Eid, and Passover all falling within the spring season. People who observe these faiths will gather with friends and [...]
FSIS Extends Modified Poultry Line Speed Waivers In July 2022, FSIS announced it was contracting with a team of third-party worker safety experts to conduct a study with select poultry establishments to measure the impact of increased line speeds on worker safety. Poultry establishments with existing line [...]
Food Safety News Release Monday, March 18 2024 Zoya Sattar, Public Affairs Specialist It’s a special time of year as we welcome spring and celebrate several holidays. Many families and communities will be celebrating with their Easter, Eid, and Passover traditions. Whether you’re celebrating your [...]
FSIS to Implement Digital Signatures for Export Certificates in PHIS for China Starting July 1, 2024, export certificates for meat and poultry products (excluding casings and egg products) exported to the People’s Republic of China will be digitally signed in FSIS’ Public Health Information System [...]
Three Food Safety Tips to Remember for Cooking while Fasting A blessed Ramadan to all those who celebrate! As the month of fasting in Islam begins, families are looking forward to gathering for community and home-cooked meals. Preparing these iftar meals (eaten after sunset during Ramadan) [...]
FSIS Posts Report on Clostridium perfringens Market Basket Study Results On August 16, 2023, FSIS posted the Clostridium Perfringens Market Basket Study on the FSIS website. In May of 2021, FSIS commissioned the study through the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) laboratories, to assess the levels of Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) [...]
FSIS Makes Changes to its Sampling Programs for FY 2024 FSIS implemented changes to its sampling programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, starting October 1. After reviewing the sampling and testing programs, as it does each year, FSIS has made targeted changes that more effectively [...]
2024 Rates for the Basetime, Overtime, Holiday, Laboratory Services, and Export Application Fees On December 21, 2023, FSIS published a Federal Register notice announcing the 2024 fees it will charge meat, poultry, and egg products establishments, importers, and exporters for providing voluntary, overtime, holiday, identification, certification, and laboratory services. [...]
Tips for the Label Approval Process: Navigating 'No Artificial Colors' Claims and Optimizing Submissions Using the 'Label Submissions' Checklist Labels are currently taking about 2-4 business days to evaluate. TIP: Understanding the distinction between the claims “no artificial colors” and “not artificially colored” will facilitate [...]
FSIS Intends to Exclude Vaccine Strains from the FSIS Salmonella Performance Categorization In December 2021, FSIS announced that as a part of its ongoing efforts to reduce foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella, FSIS would be inviting poultry slaughter and processing establishments to submit proposals for pilot projects to test [...]
FSIS to Release Updated MPI Directory and Establishment Demographic Data Files FSIS will release the enhanced Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection (MPI) Directory and the Establishment Demographic Data (MPI Supplement) files on March 11, 2024. The enhanced files increase transparency by providing additional data on establishment [...]
Tips for Faster Label Approval Labels are currently taking about 3-5 business days to evaluate. TIP: When submitting a label for approval that bears text in a foreign language, including the English translation in the application will result in a faster label evaluation process. English [...]
FSIS Removes Voluntary Ante-Mortem Inspection Regulations for Horses On April 21, 2025, FSIS will publish a final rule amending federal meat inspection regulations to remove the regulation that established a