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Diving overview:
- On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said: Expanding Inspections at Meat Plants A series of listeria outbreaks earlier this year exposed major safety deficiencies at food processors.
- USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said it will prioritize completing food safety assessments in fiscal year 2025 for ready-to-eat meat and poultry facilities that “rely solely on sanitation measures to control listeria.”
- The agency also plans to test all meat samples for a broader range of Listeria species starting in January 2025. FSIS inspectors will also collect data from facilities on a weekly basis to identify specific hazards and determine if further action is needed.
Dive Insights:
This year, a deadly listeria outbreak led to the recall of millions of pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.
Most recently, Yu Shang Food Inc. recalled it. Meat and Poultry Products After two infants died and 17 were hospitalized due to a listeria outbreak. On December 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it had expanded the number of cases linked to the outbreak after discovering a second strain of Listeria.
The outbreak comes months after BrucePac Foods recalled more than 12 million pounds of processed chicken used in salad kits and other products due to listeria concerns. There have been no reported deaths associated with BrucePac products. lack of traceability This has made it difficult for the USDA to quickly identify which items have been affected by the outbreak.
FSIS said that in reviewing its systems following the outbreak, it identified a number of improvements that could be implemented quickly. In addition to additional oversight of ready-to-eat meat plants, the agency plans to update training for inspectors and create a new committee to review its regulatory approach to listeria.
FSIS also said it will change its monthly list of facilities with high rates of noncompliance related to public health to help FSIS better identify high-risk plants.
“These actions are common-sense improvements to our work to strengthen the food safety net while continuing to improve the agency’s work to align with best science and practices,” said Dr. Emilio Esteban, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety. name.
