As a part of FSIS ongoing efforts to reduce foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella, FSIS invited poultry slaughter and processing establishments to submit proposals for pilot projects to test different strategies for Salmonella control in poultry products. FSIS is granting a pilot project to an establishment to examine the merits and logistics of excluding Salmonella poultry vaccine strains from the FSIS Salmonella performance categorization calculation. The data collected during the pilot will be shared with and analyzed by FSIS to determine whether it supports changes to existing FSIS Salmonella control strategies.
This pilot and any future approved pilot projects will be listed on the Pilot Projects: Salmonella Control Strategies page of the FSIS website. This list will be updated as additional pilots are approved.
For questions, or to discuss ideas for a pilot with FSIS, please email us at Salmonella@usda.gov.
FSIS Grants Modified Waivers to Poultry Establishments
In July 2022, FSIS announced that 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 speed waivers that opted into the study and agreed to provide worker safety information were eligible to apply for a modified line speed waiver as part of the study.
FSIS has completed its evaluation of the submissions from eligible poultry establishments. Today, FSIS issued letters granting modified line speed waivers. A list of the establishments receiving modified line speed waivers can be found on FSIS website. The modified line speed waivers will conclude on March 31, 2024, a year from the date they were granted. During this time, the worker safety experts will complete data analysis and send their draft report to FSIS.
In January 2022, the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia granted USDAs motion for voluntary remand in a case challenging the issuance of line speed waivers to certain establishments participating in the New Poultry Inspection System. The remand allowed USDA to reconsider the poultry line speed waiver program in light of the time-limited trials it implemented for certain swine establishments participating in the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System.
Today, FSIS is also sunsetting the existing young chicken line speed waiver program at the onset of the modified waiver program.
FSIS Posts FY 2022 Foodborne Illness Outbreak Investigations Annual Report
is now available on the FSIS website. This report summarizes outbreaks investigated by FSIS during FY 2022, including the number of outbreaks, the number of outbreaks that resulted in a product recall, implicated products, as well as information on pathogens and illnesses. The annual report also highlights lessons learned from outbreak after-action reviews.
FSIS, in collaboration with public health partners, investigates outbreaks of foodborne illness to determine if there is an association between FSIS-regulated products and human illnesses. FSIS and partners work to determine the specific products making people sick so they can be removed from commerce to prevent additional illnesses.
Previous annual reports, after-action review reports for specific outbreaks, and more information about FSIS outbreak investigations are also available on the FSIS website.
FSIS Posts FY 2022 Sampling Summary Report
FSIS has posted the, which includes results from the domestic microbiological and chemical sampling programs for raw and ready-to-eat (RTE) beef, pork, Siluriformes, and poultry products, as well as RTE egg products. The report also includes results from import residue and microbiological testing programs, whole genome sequencing information, National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) sampling, and data from other sampling programs and special projects.
The report reflects the agencys implementation of the and complements the annualFSIS Sampling Catalog, as part of the agencys continuing effort to enhance transparency and provide stakeholders with reliable and timely information.
Visit the FSIS website to view additional data, the, and learn more about the FSIS sampling program.
Reminder: NARMS Sampling Results Available in PHIS Industry Reports
As a reminder, the Industry Sampling Results for Primary Establishment Number Detailed report, available in the Public Health Information System (PHIS), includes results from cecal sampling through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS).
NARMS is a national public health surveillance system through which FSIS partners with state and local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to track changes in antimicrobial susceptibility of select foodborne bacteria found in ill people (CDC), retail meats (FDA), and food animals (FSIS). FSIS NARMS sampling is a non-regulatory sampling program and does not require establishments to hold products. All NARMS samples have a sampling project code beginning with the prefix NARMS_ which distinguishes them from other FSIS product samples.
More information on PHIS access is available on the FSIS website. For questions regarding NARMS sampling results, please contact askFSIS.
Available for Public Comment
FSIS seeks public comments on proposed rules and notices, which are viewable on the FSISFederal Register & Rulemaking webpage. FSIS is currently seeking comments on the following:
* Until May 1: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Advanced Meat Recovery
* Until May 1:Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Voluntary Destruction of Imported Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
* Until May 1:Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Nutrition Labeling of Major Cuts of Single-Ingredient Raw Meat or Poultry Products and Ground or Chopped Meat and Poultry Products
* Unti May 1:Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Sanitation SOPs and Pathogen Reduction/HACCP
* Until May 8:Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Procedures for the Notification of New Technology and Requests for Waivers
* Until May 12:Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated Products with U.S.-Origin Claims
Export Requirements Update
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:
* Japan
* Dominica
* Ecuador
* Honduras
* Guatemala
* Jamaica
* European Union
* El Salvador
* French Polynesia (Tahiti)
* Chile
* North Macedonia
* Canada
* Brazil
* Panama
* St. Lucia
* Nicaragua
* Peru
* Western Samoa (Samoa)
* Taiwan
* Turks & Caicos Islands
* Solomon Islands
* Colombia
* Benin
* Morocco
* Mauritius
* Namibia
* Jordan
* New Caledonia
* Qatar
* United Arab Emirates
* Hong Kong
* India
* Tunisia
Complete information can be found at theFSIS Import & Export Library.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service