The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed to establish up-to-date pathogen contamination standards for poultry and meat products in recent years, according to a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that called on the agency to strengthen oversight regarding these matters.
The USDA is responsible for ensuring the safety of meat and poultry products in the United States, while USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) establishes standards for reducing certain bacteria and other pathogens known to cause foodborne illnesses in beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and other products. The last time FSIS finalized new or updated standards for illness-causing pathogens in meat and poultry products was in 2018 when it designated salmonella in “not ready-to-eat” breaded stuffed chicken products as an “adulterant” at certain levels, said the Jan. 22 GAO report.
