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Establishments regulated by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) frequently face the dilemma on whether to appeal agency decisions that could have a negative impact on their businesses.

On Jan. 30, 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) intended to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses. The EO directs federal agencies to repeal at least two regulations for every new regulation.

The approach taken by the departing administration relied for eight years on comprehensive regulations to create a safer food supply. The new administration, led by President Donald Trump, on the other hand, believes complex regulation actually impedes progress.

The food industry spends billions of dollars to address the issues raised by the estimated number of illnesses and deaths attributed to a pathogen or allergen. The predictions and statistics these agencies provide and use are truly critical.

Once something is posted or uploaded online, there’s a good chance that it will be there — in some form — forever, and you’ll have to accept the consequences from there.

As recently described in its 2017-22 five-year Strategic Plan, FSIS has announced it will begin to intensify inspections of retail delis as part of its new enforcement initiatives.

On Dec. 20, 2016, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) published a three-part rulemaking package, the “Farmer Fair Practices Rules,” in the Federal Register.

In recent years, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to contaminated ground beef. As a result, there has been a significant decrease in the number of lawsuits filed by consumers relating to E. coli O157:H7 illnesses.

Many small and medium size meat processors have their own retail area in which they sell products to the public.

By now, the shortage of incoming talent to the trucking and transportation industry has been well-documented.