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  • Food Safety
    • Recalls & Public Health Alerts
      • Report a Problem with Food
        • Additional Recalls
      • Annual Recall Summaries
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2012
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2013
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2014
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2015
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2016
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2017
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2018
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2019
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2020
        • Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2021
        • Summary of Recall and PHA Cases in Calendar Year 2022
    • Food Safety Stats
      • Consumer Research
    • Foodborne Illness and Disease
      • Illnesses and Pathogens
        • Campylobacter
          • Campylobacter En Español
        • Clostridium botulinum
        • Escherichia coli O157:H7
        • Parasites and Foodborne Illness
        • Salmonella Questions and Answers
      • Resources for Public Health Partners
        • State Departments of Public Health
      • Outbreaks
        • Outbreak Investigations: Prevention
        • Outbreak Investigations: Response
    • Safe Food Handling and Preparation
      • Food Safety Basics
        • Additives in Meat and Poultry Products
        • Appliance Thermometers
        • Asar a la parrilla y seguridad alimentaria
        • Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness
        • Cooking for Groups
        • Cooking with Microwave Ovens
        • Cutting Boards
        • Deep Fat Frying
        • Doneness Versus Safety
        • Food Allergies
        • Glossary of Packaging Terms
        • Grilling Food Safely
        • Grilling and Food Safety
        • High Altitude Cooking
        • How Temperatures Affect Food
        • How to Find the USDA Establishment Number
        • Importing Meat, Poultry & Egg Products US
        • Inspection for Food Safety: The Basics
        • Irradiation and Food Safety FAQ
        • Keeping "Bag" Lunches Safe
        • Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency
        • Kitchen Thermometers
        • Mail Order Food Safety
        • Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms
        • Meat and Poultry Packaging Materials
        • Natural Flavors on Meat and Poultry Labels
        • Safe Handling of Take-Out Foods
        • Slaughter Inspection 101
        • Slow Cookers and Food Safety
        • Smoking Meat and Poultry
        • Tailgating Food Safety Q & A
        • Understanding FSIS Food Recalls
        • Water in Meat & Poultry
        • Danger Zone 40F - 140F
        • Food Product Dating
        • Freezing and Food Safety
        • Leftovers and Food Safety
        • Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous?
          • Hongos en los Alimentos: ¿Son Peligrosos?
        • Refrigeration
        • Safe Temperature Chart
        • Shelf-Stable Food
        • Steps to Keep Food Safe
        • The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods
        • The Color of Meat and Poultry
        • Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety?
        • Food Safety While Hiking, Camping & Boating
        • Seguridad Alimentaria Durante Caminatas, Campamentos y Paseos en Bote
      • Meat
        • Bacon and Food Safety
        • Bagre de la Granja a la Mesa
        • Beef From Farm To Table
        • Bison from Farm to Table
        • Carne de res ablandada mecánicamente
        • Catfish from Farm to Table
        • Color of Cooked Ground Beef as It Relates to Doneness
        • Corned Beef
        • Door-to-Door Meat Sales
        • Fresh Pork from Farm to Table
        • Goat from Farm to Table
        • Ground Beef and Food Safety
        • Hams and Food Safety
        • Hot Dogs & Food Safety
        • Jerky
        • Lamb From Farm to Table
        • Mechanically Tenderized Beef
        • Rabbit From Farm to Table
        • Roasting Those "Other" Holiday Meats
        • Sausages and Food Safety
        • Veal from Farm to Table
        • Yersiniosis and Chitterlings Tips
      • Poultry
        • Chicken From Farm to Table
        • Chicken Liver
        • Duck and Goose from Farm to Table
        • Hock Locks and Other Accoutrements
        • Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe?
        • Let's Talk Turkey Roasting
        • Poultry Processing: Questions & Answers
        • Poultry: Basting, Brining, and Marinating
        • Stuffing and Food Safety
        • The Poultry Label Says "Fresh"
        • Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling
        • Turkey Basics: Handling Cooked Dinners
        • Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking
        • Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing
        • Turkey Basics: Stuffing
        • Turkey from Farm to Table
        • Turkey: Alternate Routes to the Table
      • Eggs
        • Egg Products and Food Safety
        • Shell Eggs from Farm to Table
      • Emergencies
        • A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes
        • Fires and Food Safety
        • Keep Your Food Safe During Emergencies
        • Removing Odors from Refrigerators and Freezers
      • USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
      • Brochures & Publications
    • Food Defense and Emergency Response
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      • Food Defense
        • Risk Mitigation Tool
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        • Functional Food Defense Plans
        • International Food Defense
  • Science & Data
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      • Microbiology
        • Baseline Microbiology Data Reports
        • Microbiological Testing Program for RTE Meat and Poultry Products
          • Tables & Results Microbiological Testing Program for RTE Meat
          • Tables & Results: Microbiological Testing Program Pasteurized Egg Products
          • Aggregate Salmonella Categorization of Raw Chicken Parts, NRTE Comminuted Poultry, Young Chicken Carcass and Young Turkey Carcass Establishments Using Moving Windows
          • Salmonella Initiative Program Criteria
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Antimicrobial Resistance
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Raw Beef Products
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Ready-to-eat Products and Egg Products
            • Quarterly Sampling Reports on Salmonella
            • Salmonella Action Plan: A One and Two Year Update
            • Salmonella Categorization of Individual Establishments for Poultry Products
        • Microbiological Testing Program for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)
          • Year-to-Date Totals: Testing of Raw Ground Beef Component (RGBC) Samples for E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)
          • Annual Report for STEC in Raw Ground Beef or Veal and Raw Ground Beef or Veal Components
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2017
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2018
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2016
          • Individual E. coli Positive Results for Raw Ground Beef (RGB) and RGB Components 2015
          • Year-to-Date 2018 Totals: Results of Raw Ground Beef Component (RGBC) Samples for E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC):
        • Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting
      • Chemical Residues and Contaminants
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        • Egg Product Testing, Years 1995-2017
      • Inspection Task Data
    • Scientific Reports
      • Public Health Regulations (PHR)
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2022
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2021
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2016
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2017
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2018
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2019
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2020
        • FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2023
      • Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC)
    • Laboratories & Procedures
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        • Requesting Bacterial Isolates from FSIS
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  • Policy
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      • Regulatory Priorities
    • Advisory Committees
      • National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI)
      • National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria For Foods (NACMCF)
        • 2021-2023 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria For Foods (NACMCF)
        • NACMCF 2022 Subcommittee
        • 2018-2020 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria For Foods (NACMCF)
  • Inspection
    • Inspection Programs
      • Inspection of Meat Products
        • Humane Handling Ombudsman
        • Modernization of Swine Slaughter Inspection
      • Inspection of Poultry Products
        • Reducing Salmonella in Poultry
          • Pilot Projects: Salmonella Control Strategies
          • Proposed Regulatory Framework to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses Attributable to Poultry
            • Component 1
            • Component 2
            • Component 3
          • Salmonella By the Numbers
          • Salmonella KPI
          • Salmonella Risk Assessments
        • Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection
      • Inspection of Egg Products
      • Inspection of Siluriformes
    • Compliance Guidance
      • Significant Guidance
      • HACCP
        • HACCP-Based-Inspection Models Project
          • New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS)
          • HIMP Redesign Achievement of Performance Standards Young Chicken Plants
          • List of HIMP Participating Plants
        • HACCP Validation
      • PHIS
        • PHIS: Historical Information
      • Retail Guidance
      • Small & Very Small Plant Guidance
        • Appealing Inspection Decisions
        • Food Safety Resources for Small and Very Small Plant Outreach: Order Form
        • Small Plant Help Desk
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      • Microbial Risk
        • Listeria Monocytogenes
        • Salmonella
        • Shiga Toxin-Producing E.Coli (STEC) and E. Coli O157:H7
        • Specified Risk Material
          • BSE Rules Being Strictly Enforced
        • Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in Retail Delicatessens - Best Practice Tips for Deli Operators
      • Specified Risk Material Resources
      • Food Safety Assessments Tools
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      • Sanitation Performance Standards Compliance Guide
      • Labeling
        • Basics of Labeling
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        • Nonfood Compounds
          • Compounds Used for Construction and Repair in Federally Inspected Meat and Poultry Plants
          • Criteria Used by the Former Compounds and Packaging Branch for Evaluating Nonfood Compounds and Proprietary Substances
        • Ingredients Guidance
        • Label Submission and Approval System (LSAS)
          • Integration of Paper Label Applications into the Label Submission and Approval System (LSAS)
        • Labeling Policies
          • Human Food Made with Cultured Animal Cells
          • Regulations for Package Dating
          • Comprehensive List of Reasons for Label Modifications and Returns
        • Labeling Procedures
          • Information Required For Requesting a Temporary Approval
          • 10 Most Common Mistakes And How to Avoid Them
          • Label Submission Checklist
          • Labeling Situations That Can Not Have a Temporary Approval
          • Labeling and Establishment Responsibilities
          • Ten Most Commonly Asked Labeling Questions
          • Trans Fat Declarations in the Nutrition Facts Panel on Product Labeling
      • New Technology
        • Cooperative Agreements FY 2003
        • Cooperative Agreements FY 2004
        • Cooperative Agreements FY 2005
        • Food Safety Technologies FY 2003
        • Food Safety Technologies FY 2004
        • Food Safety Technologies FY 2005
        • NOL for Non-O157 STEC Test Methods
        • New Technology Information Table
      • Humane Handling
    • Import & Export
      • Import & Export Library
        • Eligible Foreign Establishments
        • U.S. Establishments by Country
          • Australia Eligible Establishments
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          • Mexico Export Eligible Establishments
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          • South Africa Eligible Establishments
      • Import Guidance
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    • Regulatory Enforcement
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      • FSIS Policies on Regulatory Decisions
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  • About FSIS
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      • Submit Your Stories
      • Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — Advancing Leadership Through Opportunity
      • Black History Month — Resistance Through Agricultural Innovations
      • Tiffanie Newman: Versatility at FSIS and in Daily Life
      • Archives
        • ARCHIVE: Meet Pickle-Eating Champ, CSI Joe Smith
        • ARCHIVE: Supervisors Make All the Difference!
        • ARCHIVE: Disability: Part of the Equity Equation
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month — Workplace Violence: Active Shooter
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month - Cyber Security for Remote Work
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month: Occupant Emergency Planning
        • ARCHIVE: Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month: Emergency Alerts
        • ARCHIVE: Chief Data Scientist — and Puzzle Solver — Justin Ronca
        • ARCHIVE: Message from Leadership — Women’s Equality Day
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        • ARCHIVE: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration
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        • ARCHIVE: World Veterinary Day — Recognizing the Resilience of FSIS Veterinarians
        • ARCHIVE: Two Hero Inspectors Provide Potentially Life-Saving CPR to a Plant Employee
        • ARCHIVE: Hero Inspector Saves a Life While on the Road
        • ARCHIVE: Administrative Professionals Day — Thank You
        • ARCHIVE: Chief Information Security Officer Marvin Lykes Recognized for Operational Excellence
        • ARCHIVE: Women’s History Month: Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope
        • ARCHIVE: Alameda District Awards Petaluma Circuit Inspectors Recognition Coins
        • ARCHIVE: Collaborating in the Caribbean — Bringing Awareness About African Swine Fever
        • ARCHIVE: Message from Leadership — Be an Advocate for Public Health
        • ARCHIVE: Message from Leadership — Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
        • ARCHIVE: In Their Own Words: The 2021 Administrator’s Awards for Excellence Winners Speak Out
        • ARCHIVE: CSI Koffi Hoenou – From Togolese Teacher to U.S. Citizen
        • ARCHIVE: Dearborn, Mich., Circuit Inspectors Receive Collaborative Coins
        • ARCHIVE: Don’t Invite Foodborne Illness to the Party
        • ARCHIVE: Inspection for Ritual Meat and Poultry Slaughter
        • ARCHIVE: Thanksgiving Message from Leadership
        • ARCHIVE: Make a Difference for You and Your Colleagues – Respond to FEVS by Dec. 3
        • ARCHIVE: American Indian/Alaskan Native Heritage Month — Together Towards Tomorrow
        • ARCHIVE: Federal State Audit Staff Twice Honored for Supporting Military Staff
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        • ARCHIVE: Disability Employment Awareness Month — America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion
        • ARCHIVE: Helping Today’s Inspectors Be Tomorrow’s Leaders with Tuition Reimbursement
        • ARCHIVE: Dr. Geraldine Vidal-Covas Embraces Her Hispanic Heritage, Encourages All
        • ARCHIVE: National Preparedness Month – Home Go Kits & Pets
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        • ARCHIVE: Remembering Their Sacrifice: Jean Hillery, Tom Quadros and Bill Shaline
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Branding & Toolkits

USDA Branding Usage

Please refer to this branding material for the correct usage of the USDA logo, colors and fonts. These materials are available to you at no charge, but any and all uses must conform to these guidelines. Contact USDA for approval of other uses or applications by writing to: fsis.outreach@usda.gov.

 Brand Brief    Brand Brief

The USDA logo shall be reproduced in either one or two colors. The official colors for the USDA symbol are dark blue (PMS 288) and dark green (PMS 343). When reproduced in one color, the symbol shall be black. When the symbol is placed on a color field, it should be reversed to white.

The USDA symbol is designated for display on all information products of the Department. To ensure maximum visibility, the preferred position of the symbol on most information products is the top left corner.

When used in conjunction with symbol of other public and/or private-sector partners, the logo should be given equal placement and may be displayed without the Department name. If all of the symbols represent Federal organizations, the symbols should be placed in alphabetical order. If the organizations are a mix of Federal and non-Federal, the lead Federal agency symbol should appear first with the remaining symbols ordered as dictated by the situation.

Toolkits

 

How to Use This Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to help you get started with your Summer Food Safety Campaign. In this toolkit you will find the materials you can use to promote safe food handling from Memorial Day to Labor Day.   

We have organized this material to help make your outreach informative, helpful and fun. Resources include:

  • Talking Points
  • Social Media
  • Infographics

To encourage co-branding, you may add your organization’s name to outreach materials and media resources. We have talking points for interviews or speeches. A gallery of photographs and infographics are available to use free through the FSIS Flickr site.

Overview

  • FSIS works hard to make sure the meat, poultry and egg products consumers bring home are safe, but consumers also play a role in preventing foodborne illnesses — commonly known as food poisoning.
  • Our summer toolkit will focus on 1) grilling safety, 2) the Danger Zone and 3) keeping food safe while traveling.

Talking Points

This toolkit describes safe ways for consumers to prepare, store and transport food with an emphasis on outdoor activities such as grilling, picnicking, hiking and camping.

Remember Your Four Steps to Food Safety

Clean: Wash hands for 20 seconds and clean surfaces and utensils with soap and warm water before cooking and after contact with raw meat and poultry. After cleaning surfaces that raw meat and poultry have touched, apply a commercial or homemade sanitizing solution (1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water). Use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Separate: When cooking and preparing multiple foods, it can be easy to spread bacteria throughout your meal prep area. Use separate cutting boards, plates and utensils to avoid cross-contamination between raw meat or poultry and foods that are ready to eat.

Cook: Confirm your meat and poultry products are cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature by using a food thermometer.

Chill: Chill foods promptly if not consuming immediately after cooking. Do not leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours. Keep cold foods cold. Pay special attention to cold foods at picnics like salads (e.g., egg, potato, chicken, etc.) that need to remain chilled while outside.

Remember Your Four Steps to Food Safety

  • Clean: Wash hands for 20 seconds and clean surfaces and utensils with soap and warm water before cooking and after contact with raw meat and poultry. After cleaning surfaces that raw meat or poultry has touched, apply a commercial or homemade sanitizing solution (1 tablespoon of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water). Use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
  • Separate: Use separate cutting boards, plates and utensils to avoid cross-contamination between raw meat or poultry and foods that are ready-to-eat.
  • Cook: Confirm foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature by using a food thermometer.
  • Chill: Chill foods promptly if not consuming immediately after cooking. Do not leave food at room temperature for longer than two hours.

Cook Your Food to a Safe Internal Temperature

  • Use a food thermometer to ensure your meat and poultry products have reached a safe minimum internal temperature.
  • Always use a food thermometer when grilling outside. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill tend to brown quickly on the outside but may not be fully cooked on the inside. Never partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later. Color is never a reliable indicator of safety and doneness.
  • Cook raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops and roasts to 145 F. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.
    • Cook fish to 145 F.
    • Cook raw ground beef, pork, lamb and veal to 160 F.
    • Cook egg dishes to 160 F.
    • Cook raw poultry to 165 F.
  • To correctly take the temperature of burgers and not miss cold spots, insert the food thermometer through the side of the patty in the thickest part, until the probe reaches the center. For ground beef burgers, the thermometer should read 160 F. Ground poultry burgers should read 165 F.
  • If you are cooking a product that is still frozen, the only way to know it is safe to eat is by confirming that it has reached a safe minimum internal temperature measured with a food thermometer. Frozen food is not finished cooking until it reaches the recommended internal temperature.

Avoid the Danger Zone

  • Food that is between the temperatures of 40 F and 140 F is in the Danger Zone and only has a limited time before it becomes a food safety risk.
  • Follow the two-hour rule: Foodborne illness-causing bacteria grows rapidly when food is left out at temperatures between 40 F and 140 F. Remember to refrigerate food within two hours, and within one hour if it’s a hot day (above 90 F).
  • Dividing leftovers into smaller portions and refrigerating or freezing them in shallow containers helps leftovers cool quicker than storing them in large containers.
  • When serving food, it is important to remember to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
    • Keep cold foods at an internal temperature of 40 F or below by keeping food nestled in ice on the table or kept in a cooler until ready to serve.
    • Keep hot foods at an internal temperature of 140 F or above by placing food on warming trays or on the grill.

Safety on the Road

  • Ensuring your cooler is fully stocked with ice or frozen gel packs can help keep perishable foods cold. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishable food in another cooler.
    • The beverage cooler may be opened frequently, causing the temperature inside the cooler to fluctuate and become unsafe for perishable foods.
    • Use a cooler when taking perishable foods in the car and keep it out of the sun. Once outside, place it in the shade.
  • Full coolers will keep your perishable foods cold and safe for much longer than half full ones.

Camping and Backpacking

  • If you are backpacking for more than a day, you can still bring cold foods for the first day, but you'll have to pack shelf-stable items for the following days. Canned goods are safe, but heavy, so plan your menu carefully. Advances in food technology have produced relatively lightweight staples that don't need refrigeration or careful packaging:
    • pre-packaged, shelf-stable meals
    • peanut butter in plastic jars
    • concentrated juice boxes
    • canned tuna, ham, chicken and beef
    • dried noodles and soups
    • beef jerky and other shelf-stable meats
    • dehydrated foods
    • whole or dried fruits
    • nuts
    • powdered milk and fruit drinks

Social Media

Share Summer Food Safety guidance with your followers and be sure to use the hashtag: #SummerFoodSafety. Follow us on Twitter for our summer food safety Tweets and Retweet us! Don’t forget to tag us in your tweets (@USDAFoodSafety).

Infographics

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Summer Food Safety Steps (Vertical)

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Summer Food Safety Steps (Horizontal)

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Is It Done Yet? (English)

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Is It Done Yet? (Spanish)

 

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Journal Publications

FSIS research and findings are published in peer-reviewed journals.
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Who Works for Us

"Faces of Food Safety" introduces you to the men and women who play a role in making our food safe.
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Strategic Planning

The FSIS Strategic Plan is the foundation document for both the long range and day-to-day operations of the Agency.
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Last Updated: Aug 11, 2022
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