USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service is moving its Salmonella oversight toward quantification, and small plants now have a clearer picture of what that means for sampling and performance categories.
In its Aug. 5 Updates for Small Plants newsletter, the agency recapped a regulatory update from Under Secretary for Food Safety Mindy Brashears covering Product of USA implementation, line speed modernization, and Small Plant Action Plan progress. Brashears also outlined next steps on Listeria, including a new environmental sampling pilot, plans for trend analysis, and expanded laboratory capacity.
Much of the update centered on the Salmonella Science, Action, Faster Response and Effective Control (SAFE) plan. Brashears says the pathogen behaves differently from Escherichia coli across establishments and processes.
FSIS is working to develop transparent science that shifts testing toward Salmonella quantification, with a focus on highly pathogenic serotypes and validation methods. Brashears points to a 13-week moving window pilot alongside a biomapping and validation pilot to support faster identification and response.
Poultry processors have a defined path into that work. FSIS announced a pilot project for raw poultry establishments to measure Salmonella levels throughout slaughter or processing.
Plants can choose to perform biomapping or implement one or more critical control points validated under their HACCP plans to prevent, reduce, or eliminate Salmonella. Plants may also request a regulatory waiver on sampling frequency, and a biomapping program may support reduced sampling at pre- and post-chill locations—provided every biomapping data point includes Salmonella enumeration.
FSIS Administrator Justin Ransom addresses how the agency is using data to advance food safety tools, describing a focus on three pillars: strong people, smart systems, and safe food. Ransom says FSIS has reorganized to better align program areas with its mission and push resources to the frontlines.
