The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a new pilot project designed to evaluate enhanced Salmonella monitoring strategies in raw poultry slaughter and processing establishments.
The announcement follows a public meeting held Jan. 14, 2026, during which FSIS discussed practical approaches to reducing Salmonella illnesses linked to poultry products.
The voluntary pilot is open to chicken and turkey slaughter and processing establishments that are subject to one or more of the agency's current Salmonella performance standards for carcasses, parts, or comminuted products. To participate, establishments must either incorporate Salmonella biomapping into their food safety systems or implement a validated Critical Control Point (CCP) for Salmonella control within their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans.
As part of the pilot, FSIS will evaluate a shorter Salmonella performance standard moving window, reducing it from the current 52-week period to a variable window beginning at 13 weeks, with a maximum of 52 weeks. The agency also will consider waiver requests submitted through the Salmonella Initiative Program that would allow alternative microbial sampling frequencies under existing carcass testing regulations.
According to FSIS, data collected through the pilot could help inform future regulatory changes.
Establishments participating through the biomapping option must submit a sampling plan identifying locations throughout their operations where Salmonella samples will be collected and quantified. Once approved, the collected biomapping data will be routinely verified by FSIS inspection personnel.
Facilities choosing to participate through a validated CCP must submit documentation supporting the intervention used to control Salmonella. Establishments already conducting biomapping or operating with an existing validated Salmonella CCP are also eligible to participate.
FSIS said approved participants will be listed on the agency's Pilot Projects: Salmonella Control Strategies webpage.
