The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been relatively quiet the past few months in terms of new regulatory initiatives. There are, however, a few recent noteworthy developments.
Although the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has been fairly quiet lately with regard to new regulatory initiatives, two recent issuances involving foodborne pathogens should be noteworthy to the meat and poultry industry.
Cell-culture technology will generate more headlines than protein for the foreseeable future. It is impossible to ignore the attention that the technology has garnered in the popular press and in the food and agriculture sector.
On Dec. 20, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released a final rule to implement the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (the BE rule).
The programs are key components of the agency's verification activities to ensure inspections are effective at keeping microbiological contaminants and chemical residues out of commerce.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is empowered with numerous enforcement tools by the federal laws it implements.
On June 22, 2018, FSIS issued Notice 32-18, Actions To Take in Raw Poultry Establishments Exceeding Salmonella Performance Standards, instructing FSIS personnel on what actions to take at establishments that are exceeding Salmonella performance standards and are thus in Category 3.