Food Safety Professionals Ensure that “What’s in Your Meat” is Safe and Wholesome

On Aug. 29, 2018, Acting Deputy Under Secretary Carmen Rottenberg issued a statement regarding a story by Consumer Reports that falsely claims that drug residues are present in meat and poultry.  In the statement, she underscores that when Americans see the USDA mark of inspection, they can have confidence that the products have been inspected and passed – meaning that every carcass has been inspected, samples have been taken by USDA inspectors and analyzed by scientists in a USDA laboratory, and the labeling is truthful and not misleading.

To view the full statement, please visit the FSIS website at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/news-events/news-press-releases/food-safety-professionals-ensure-whats-your-meat-safe-and-wholesome.

NACMCF Reports Available

FSIS is announcing the availability of two reports that were adopted at the Aug. 7, 2018, plenary session by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The reports are “Response to Questions Posed by the Food and Drug Administration Regarding Virulence Factors and Attributes that Define Foodborne Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) as Severe Human Pathogens,” and “Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service Regarding Salmonella Control Strategies in Poultry.”

The reports are available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/advisory-committees/national-advisory-committee-microbiological-criteria-foods-nacmcf.

FSIS Releases Report Showing Most People Are Spreading Dangerous Bacteria Around the Kitchen and Don’t Even Realize It

The full text of a report summarizing the findings of a recent observational study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is available on FSIS’ website. The research shows that when it comes to handwashing before meals, consumers are failing to properly clean their hands 97 percent of the time. Rushed handwashing can lead to cross-contamination of food and other surfaces, resulting in foodborne illness. The full results of the observational study, conducted by USDA in collaboration with RTI International and North Carolina State University, showed other concerning results as well. To find the full report on this research, and an additional literature review conducted in 2017 analyzing peer-reviewed literature on consumer-focused public health campaigns, please visit: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/food-safety-stats/consumer-research.

Policy Updates

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/directives-notices. The following policy updates were recently issued:

• Notice 44-18 – Restoration of Forfeited Annual Leave

Export Requirements Updates

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following countries:

• Barbados
• Kazakhstan
• New Caledonia
• Republic of Korea
• South Africa
• Taiwan
• Western Samoa

For a complete list of countries, visit https://www.fsis.usda.gov/inspection/import-export.