FSIS Names Food Safety Fellows

FSIS is continuing its Food Safety Fellow program through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), with support from the USDA Office of Food Safety (OFS). FSIS has selected six fellows for FY2022.

The fellows are students currently working towards their Ph.D. and have an interest in improving food safety and public health. During their fellowship, in collaboration with FSIS scientists, they will apply their scientific and technical knowledge to inform FSIS decision making and improve the safety of the food supply.

The six fellows are:

Aaron Dudley, Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University. Aaron’s research will improve our understanding of using natural antimicrobials to reduce pathogens in chicken.

Caitlin Karolenko, Oklahoma State University. Caitlin’s study will involve validating a lethality process for biltong, a dried beef product, to determine whether the commercial process, which can involve marinating in vinegar and drying, will ensure the desired log reduction in Salmonella.

Song Kue, University of Georgia. Song’s research will facilitate the development of effective controls to reduce Salmonella in the pre-harvest environment.  

Sharon Nieves-Miranda, Pennsylvania State University. Sharon’s research may lead to improved detection methods for pathogenic E. coli and facilitate epidemiological studies and outbreak investigations.

Yesutor Soku, Tuskegee University. Yesutor’s research will improve our understanding of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens from seafood and humans.

Ali Strickland, University of Minnesota School of Public Health. The results from Ali’s assessment will be used to identify meaningful pathogen enumeration thresholds and serotype characteristics to reduce the number of human cases and resulting economic burden due to ground beef consumption.

FSIS Proposes Raw Pork Performance Standards

FSIS is requesting comment on proposed pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella in raw comminuted pork and raw pork cuts. FSIS is also requesting comment on how it plans to assess whether establishments producing these products are effectively addressing Salmonella using a moving window of FSIS sampling results.

If the proposed pathogen reduction performance standards are finalized, about one year after FSIS starts assessing whether establishments meet the standards, FSIS would determine individual establishment performance based on the previous 52 weeks of FSIS Salmonella sample results and then report on the FSIS website the category of each establishment subject to the performance standard.

FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice, which published in the Federal Register on February 16, 2022. All comments must be submitted by April 18, 2022. Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides commenters the ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on the web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments.  Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for submitting comments.
• Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
• Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350-E, Washington, DC 20250-3700.

More information on the proposed rule is available here.

FSIS to Post Individual Category Status and Aggregate Results for Poultry Carcasses, Chicken Parts, and Comminuted Poultry Tested for Salmonella 

On February 22, 2022, FSIS will update the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts and comminuted poultry products on the Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting page. Additionally, FSIS will post the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, or not ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted poultry products at the location linked above.

USDA to Hold 2022 Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 24-25

The Agricultural Outlook Forum is USDA's largest annual gathering and one of the agricultural sector's premier events. This year’s theme is “New Paths to Sustainability and Productivity Growth.” The virtual forum is Feb. 24-25 and features an exceptional lineup of topics and speakers.

FSIS will be presenting during the session, “Definitions and Truth in Labeling,” with a live Q&A, which will be held on Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. ET. Moderating the session is Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Reports. Presenters are Jeff Canavan, FSIS Deputy Director of the Labeling and Program Delivery Staff, and Anne Malleau, President of Global Animal Partnership.

Also visit the FSIS booths in the virtual exhibit hall.

Registration is free but is required to virtually attend the forum and visit the exhibit hall. For more information, see the forum's Program at a Glance. Follow the conversation at #AgOutlook on USDA’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

FSIS Requesting Cooperative Agreement Proposals for Salmonella Risk Assessments 

FSIS will be requesting proposals for a cooperative agreement to collaborate on two risk assessments – one for Salmonella in chicken and another for Salmonella in turkey. These risk assessments will provide scientific support for FSIS to develop a revised framework for controlling Salmonella in poultry. FSIS will evaluate both preharvest and postharvest intervention strategies and assess the impact of reducing Salmonella levels and the prevalence of subtypes of public health concern (e.g., Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Infantis) on the rate of Salmonella illnesses from chicken and turkey consumption.

FSIS is seeking proposals from a multi-disciplinary team to support these risk assessments. The team should include individuals who can make industry data available to FSIS in a confidential and secure manner, including data on Salmonella levels and subtypes in chicken and turkey, both pre- and post-harvest. The team should also have expertise in dose-response modeling that takes into consideration differences in Salmonella virulence among subtypes.  Multi-disciplinary teams may be from multiple institutions and must designate a single principal investigator from a U.S. organization. We encourage collaborations that include minority serving institutions.

The cooperative agreement announcement will be posted on Grants.gov on March 1, 2022. Proposals must be submitted to FSIS by April 15, 2022.

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy updates were recently issued:

FSIS Directive 10800.1 - Residue Sampling, Testing and Other Verification Procedures under the National Residue Program for Meat And Poultry Products - Revision 2

FSIS Directive 10800.2 - Residue Sampling and Testing under the National Residue Program

FSIS Directive 10800.3 - Prioritizing Inspector-Generated Sampling under the National Residue Program

FSIS Directive 10800.4 - The National Residue Program Roles Functions and Responsibilities

FSIS Notice 05-22 - Availability of Protective Equipment for Employees Stationed at USDA and FSIS Facilities

FSIS Notice 06-22 - Availability of Protective Equipment for Inspection Program Personnel and In-Commerce Personnel

FSIS Notice 07-22 - Quarterly Establishment Information Letters

Export Requirements Update

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

• Korea
• Benin
• Namibia
• South Africa
• Morocco
• Tunisia
• Egypt
• China
• Japan
• Dominica
• St. Lucia
• Uruguay
• Dominican Republic
• Myanmar
• Kiribati
• Peru
• European Union
• Mexico
• Vietnam
• Jordan
• Curacao
• Qatar
• Ecuador
• Costa Rica
• United Arab Emirates
• Nicaragua
• India
• Colombia
• Chile
• North Macedonia
• Barbados
• Mauritius
• Guatemala
• Taiwan
• Singapore
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• Hong Kong
• Western Samoa (Samoa)
• Solomon Islands
• New Caledonia
• French Polynesia (Tahiti)
• Canada
• Cuba
• El Salvador
• Honduras

Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.