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The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the regulatory agency in the US Department of Agriculture that is responsible for ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products produced domestically or imported into the United States are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. FSIS collects a voluminous amount of data in support of its regulatory functions, but the two major types of FSIS data that are currently being considered for public release are sampling and testing data (derived from standard laboratory tests) and inspection and enforcement data (derived from text written by inspectors). Some of those data are already released to the public in aggregated form but not in disaggregated, establishment-specific form. In recent years, the Obama administration has implemented measures to facilitate openness in government, including the requirement that federal agencies publish information online and provide public access to information in a timely manner; in a form that can be easily retrieved, downloaded, indexed, and searched with tools that are available on the Internet; and without the need for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. The Potential Consequences of Public Release of Food Safety and Inspection Service Establishment-Specific Data examines the potential food-safety benefits and other consequences of making establishment-specific data publicly available on the Internet. The report includes how factors such as level of aggregation, timing of release, level of completeness, and characterization of the data or context in which the data are presented might affect their utility in improving food safety. The report also examines potential ways that food-safety benefits and other effects of publicly posting the data might be measured.

In 1996, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published its pathogen reduction and hazard analysis and critical control point (PR-HACCP) rule. The intention of this program was to reduce microbial contamination on meat, poultry, and egg products. The program was implemented in stages between January 1998 and January 2000, with sampling for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and/or Salmonella in large production establishments beginning in 1998. As the PR-HACCP program begins its third decade, it is reasonable to question whether there have been reductions in the frequency of pathogen-contaminated meat and poultry products reaching consumers. This study summarizes the results for over 650,000 samples collected by FSIS between 2000 and 2018 in slaughter and processing establishments across the United States and compares these results to the roughly 100,000 retail samples collected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2002 and 2017. The data demonstrate that there has been an overall reduction in the occurrence of Salmonella on meat and poultry products, but the direction and magnitude of change has not been consistent over time or across commodities. Although the available data do not support the identification of causal factors for the observed changes, a historical review of the timing of various factors and policy decisions generates potential hypotheses for the observed changes.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducts microbiological baseline studies to determine national prevalence of select foodborne pathogens in federally inspected meat and poultry products and to obtain data for risk assessments. The FSIS conducted a baseline study from 1 June 2017 through 31 May 2018 to characterize and determine the prevalence of Salmonella and assess the occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in a variety of raw pork products. In total, 4,014 samples from slaughter and processing establishments were analyzed for Salmonella; a subset of these samples (1,395) from slaughter establishments were also analyzed for STEC. Analyses determined that the national prevalence of Salmonella in raw pork products was highest in comminuted products (28.9%), followed by intact cuts (5.3%) and nonintact cuts (3.9%). Less than 1% of samples analyzed were positive for the top seven STEC. Our findings indicate there is a need for additional pathogen reduction strategies for raw pork products.

Beginning in 2003, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) put forth a series of Federal Register announcements regarding the public disclosure of results of tests for Salmonella in chicken carcasses. In particular, FSIS suggested in 2003 that it might disclose the identities of any slaughter or ground meat plant failing its Salmonella tests if test performance did not improve, and in 2004 the service increased regulatory scrutiny of plants not meeting FSIS Salmonella standards. In 2006, FSIS introduced a more easily-understood measure of food-safety quality and indicated that public disclosure would be forthcoming if results of tests for Salmonella did not improve; FSIS targeted the chicken-slaughter industry with a high degree of specificity. In 2008, FSIS began reporting the names of chicken-slaughter plants with poor performance on tests for Salmonella in chicken carcasses. This article examines the effects of these regulatory actions on Salmonella test outcomes. We find that (1) announcements in 2003 and 2004 were associated with improved performance by the poorest-performing chicken-slaughter plants; (2) the introduction of an easily-understood measure of food-safety quality and the threat of disclosure of the identities of poorly performing plants in 2006 were associated with improved performance by all chicken-slaughter plants; and (3) implementation of a public disclosure program in 2008 was associated with improvements among better-performing chicken-slaughter plants.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry product samples collected between 2005 and 2017 from RTE-producing establishments for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ALLRTE/RTEPROD_RAND (random) and RTE001/RTEPROD_RISK (risk-based) sampling projects were tested for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). Data for 45,897 ALLRTE/RTEPROD_RAND samples collected from 3,607 distinct establishments and 112,347 RTE001/RTEPROD_RISK samples collected from 3,283 distinct establishments were analyzed for the presence of Lm. These data were also analyzed based upon the percentages of establishments with positive samples, annual production volume, sanitation control alternatives, geographic location, and season or month of sample collection. Results revealed low occurrence of Lm-positive samples from the random and risk-based sampling projects, with 152 (0.33%) positive samples for ALLRTE/RTEPROD_RAND and 403 (0.36%) positive samples for RTE001/RTEPROD_RISK. The percentage of positive samples significantly decreased over time, from about 0.7% in 2005 and 2006 to about 0.2% in 2017 (P < 0.05). From 2005 to 2017, 3.9% of establishments sampled under the ALLRTE/RTEPROD_RAND sampling project had at least one Lm-positive sample. Similarly, 10.0% of establishments sampled under the RTE001/RTEPROD_RISK sampling project had at least one positive sample. Samples positive for Lm were found in all geographic regions in all months. Thus, in 13 years of RTE product sampling in FSIS-regulated establishments (2005 through 2017), <0.4% of samples were positive for Lm in both risk-based and random sampling projects. The low prevalence of Lm in these products suggests that the combination of FSIS policies and industry practices may be effective for controlling Lm contamination. Information obtained from these sampling projects is relevant to the ongoing prevention of foodborne Lm illnesses from RTE meat and poultry products.

Salmonella is a common cause of foodborne illness in the United States and often is linked to chicken products. Salmonella contamination has been associated with meat processing facility characteristics, such as the number of employees (i.e., hazard analysis critical control point [HACCP]-based definition of size). The risk factors for Salmonella contamination in U.S. poultry have not been evaluated since implementation of the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) in 2014. The goal of this study was to determine whether risk factors for Salmonella contamination changed after implementation of the NPIS. Presence or absence of Salmonella in whole chicken carcasses was modeled using microbiological testing data collected from 203 poultry processing establishments by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service between May 2015 and December 2019. A model was fit using generalized estimating equations for weekly presence or absence of Salmonella, and production volume, geographic location, and season were included as potential covariates among other establishment demographics. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated from the marginal model. Of the 40,497 analyzable samples, 1,725 (4.26%) were positive for Salmonella. Odds of contamination was lower among establishments slaughtering ≥10,000,000 birds per year (OR = 0.466; 95% CI, [0.307, 0.710]) and establishments producing ready-to-eat finished products (OR = 0.498; 95% CI, [0.298, 0.833]) and higher among establishments historically (previous 84 days) noncompliant with HACCP regulations (OR = 1.249; 95% CI, [1.071, 1.456]). Contamination also significantly varied by season and geographic region, with higher odds of contamination during summer and outside the MidEast Central region. These results support continuation of targeted food safety policies and initiatives promoting pathogen reduction by establishments with smaller volumes and those noncompliant with HACCP regulations.

Protecting public health by controlling in chicken meat products continues to be a challenge to both industry and policymakers. Studies evaluating the combined use of commercially available antimicrobial interventions are scarce. The aim of this work was to develop a risk-based prioritization framework to rank chicken meat processing interventions that achieve the greatest relative risk reduction. A baseline model characterizing the current U.S. broiler industry food safety intervention practices was created from direct observation of processes and expert elicitation. Results showed the combination of chlorine at the bird wash station and peroxyacetic acid at the on-line reprocessing and chill stages as the most common U.S. processing scenario. Irradiation at packaging and acidified sodium chlorite at evisceration were the most effective single processing interventions (98.8 and 91.6% risk reduction, respectively); however, no single intervention was able to comply with the current Food Safety and Inspection Service postchill performance standards. The combination of peroxyacetic acid in at least one of the chicken processing stages with the current set of U.S. baseline interventions achieved >99% relative risk reduction and ensured Food Safety and Inspection Service compliance. Adding more than one intervention to the U.S. current practice did not enhance (<2%) the overall risk reduction. This study can help poultry processors to prioritize food safety interventions to maximize reduction and public health protection.

Salmonella Infantis carrying extended spectrum β-lactamase blaCTX-M-65 on a pESI-like megaplasmid has recently emerged in United States poultry. In order to determine the carriage rate and gene content variability of this plasmid in U.S. Salmonella Infantis, whole genome sequences of Salmonella isolates from humans and animals in the U.S. and internationally containing the pESI-like plasmid were analyzed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) identified 654 product sampling isolates containing pESI-like plasmids through hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) verification testing in 2017 and 2018. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified 55 isolates with pESI-like plasmids in 2016–2018 through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. Approximately 49% of pESI-like plasmids from FSIS verification isolates and 71% from CDC NARMS contained blaCTX-M-65. Pan-plasmid genome analysis was also performed. All plasmids contained traN and more than 95% contained 172 other conserved genes; 61% contained blaCTX-M-65. In a hierarchical clustering analysis, some plasmids from U.S. animal sources clustered together and some plasmids from South America clustered together, possibly indicating multiple plasmid lineages. However, most plasmids contained similar genes regardless of origin. Carriage of the pESI-like plasmid in U.S. appears to be limited to Salmonella Infantis and carriage rates increased from 2017 to 2018.

Campylobacter is one of the most commonly reported foodborne pathogens in the United States. Because poultry is considered a major source of Campylobacter infections in humans, reduction of Campylobacter contamination in poultry products is likely the most important and effective public health strategy for reducing the burden of campylobacteriosis in humans. A comprehensive on-line survey was conducted of key stakeholders in the U.S. broiler industry, including broiler farm managers (n = 18), poultry veterinarians (n = 18), and processing plant managers (n = 20), to assess the current pre- and postharvest Campylobacter interventions and control measures practiced by the industry for reducing Campylobacter contamination of broiler products. The survey also included information regarding each respondent's understanding of Campylobacter transmission and ecology in relation to broiler production. The results revealed that a majority of the establishments included in the survey are following the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service guidelines for controlling Campylobacter contamination in broiler flocks and on carcasses. However, establishments appeared to be putting more effort into Salmonella control than into Campylobacter control both on the farm and in the processing plant. A majority of the respondents responded that current interventions are not effective for reducing Campylobacter contamination, especially on the farm. Many respondents did not understand the risk factors associated with Campylobacter colonization in broiler flocks and on carcasses. Continued educational and training programs for key stakeholders in the U.S. broiler industry are needed to increase awareness of the issues associated with Campylobacter infection in broiler chickens and of the fact that Campylobacter infection is a multifaceted problem that requires efforts from both the pre- and postharvest sectors.

In poultry processing, Salmonella and Campylobacter contaminations are major food safety concerns. Peracetic acid (PAA) is an antimicrobial commonly used in commercial poultry processing to reduce pathogen prevalence so as to meet the USDA-FSIS performance standards. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on broiler meat in various steps of commercial poultry processing in plants that use PAA. Post-pick, pre-chill, post-chill, and drumstick chicken samples were collected from three processing plants and mechanically deboned meat (MDM) was collected from two of the three plants. Each plant was sampled thrice, and 10 samples were collected from each processing step during each visit. Among the 420 samples, 79 were contaminated with Salmonella and 155 were contaminated with Campylobacter. Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination on the post-pick samples averaged 32.2%. Significant reductions in Salmonella and Campylobacter were observed in pre-chill to post-chill samples, where the prevalence was reduced from 34% and 64.4% to nondetectable limits and 1.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). Salmonella and Campylobacter remained undetectable on the drumstick samples in all three processing plants. However, the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on MDM was similar to the post-pick prevalence, which suggests substantial cross-contamination from post-chill to MDM.