Changes to Salmonella testing for raw beef

On August 28th, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published a Notice in the Federal Register announcing proposed changes to the agency’s Salmonella sampling program for raw beef. FSIS accepted comments on the notice until Sept. 27, 2013. As FSIS made clear in the notice, the agency will not likely grant any extensions.

Under the current FSIS Salmonella testing program, 9 CFR 310.25, FSIS only conducts Salmonella samples on raw ground beef. An establishment’s results are measured against the regulatory Salmonella Performance Standard of no more than five positive samples in the 53-sample set. Although the regulation permits FSIS to seek to withdraw inspection for three consecutive failures of the standard, FSIS customarily conducts a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) after the first failure in lieu of taking action under the regulation.