Food safety is the number one priority of the U.S. meat and poultry industry. The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the many regulations, notices and directives that it has generated ensure that the meat and poultry industry is among the most regulated industries in the nation. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors are continuously present in meat packing plants and oversee compliance with a wide array of regulatory requirements.

SALMONELLA

Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) is a common bacterial disease that affects the intestinal tract. Salmonella bacteria typically live in animal and human intestines and are shed through feces. Humans become infected most frequently through contaminated water or food.

General Information

Salmonella and Salmonellosis

Compliance Guidelines for Small and Very Small Meat and Poultry Establishments

ESCHERICHIA COLI (E. COLI)

E. coli O157:H7 is one of hundreds of strains of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Although most strains are harmless and live in the intestines of healthy humans and animals, this strain produces a powerful toxin and can cause severe illness. Thanks to many food safety technologies used by the meat industry, E. coli O157:H7 is removed during processing and is found in ground beef less than one percent of the time.

General Information

E.coli O157:H7 and other Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC)

Compliance Guidelines

LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES

Listeria monocytogenes – General and technical information from the Center for Disease and Prevention – Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases.

Compliance Guidelines

Developing a Robust Listeria Control Plan — Webinar recording from We R Food Safety! [10-17-2024]

FSIS Policy Information

FSIS Directive 10240.4 – Verification Procedures for Consumer Safety Inspectors for the Listeria monocytogenes Regulation and Introduction of Phase 2 of the LM Risk-based Verification Sampling Program – Revision 4

FSIS Directive 10240.5 – Enforcement, Investigations, and Analysis Officer (EIAO) Assessment of Compliance with the Listeria monocytogenes (LM) Regulation and Introduction of Phase 2 of the LM Risk-based Verification Testing Program – Revision 4

Supporting Documentation

Controlling Listeria monocytogenes In Small and Very Small Meat and Poultry Plants – Produced by Dr. William Henning and Dr. Catherine Cutter from Penn State University. This document was designed to provide guidelines to the small and very small processors on practices and methods to assess, prevent and control the opportunities for contamination of RTE products by L. monocytogenes.

FSIS Compliance Guideline: Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Post-lethality Exposed Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products – January 2014 – The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service developed compliance guidelines to help the establishments producing ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products, especially small and very small establishments, in their use of control methods for Listeria monocytogenes to comply with the regulations.

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of deer and elk. First recognized as a clinical “wasting” syndrome in 1967 in mule deer in a wildlife research facility in northern Colorado, it was identified as a TSE in 1978. CWD is typified by chronic weight loss leading to death. There is no known relationship between CWD and any other TSE of animals or people.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Information from APHIS – General and technical information from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Deer Processing Brochure – An easy-to-read brochure for you and your deer hunting customers. This brochure was developed by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.

Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance

BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE)

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease,” is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder affecting the central nervous system of cattle. BSE belongs to a family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The disease was first diagnosed in 1986 in Great Britain. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is enforcing import restrictions and is conducting surveillance for BSE to ensure that this serious disease does not become established in the United States.

General Information — Guidance materials from USDA-FSIS

Specified Risk Materials (SRMs) — USDA-FSIS Program Resources

Non-Ambulatory Cattle

FSIS Requirements Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle

Information from FSIS for Small and Very Small Establishments on Non-Ambulatory Cattle Rule

Custom Slaughter and Processing of Livestock – Questions and answers concerning custom slaughter/processing of livestock and the USDA restrictions of harvesting non-ambulatory disabled cattle.

The Ban on Harvesting and/or Processing of Non-Ambulatory Cattle (Animal Science News)

Sample Letter From Cattle Producer to Slaughter/Processor Concerning Non-ambulatory Cattle – Sample letter that can be utilized to ensure that meat processors are not receiving non-ambulatory disabled cattle.

AVIAN INFLUENZA (AI)

Avian Influenza (AI) is an infection caused by bird flu viruses, which naturally occur among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, AI is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them. The strain that is currently being reported in Asia and Europe is AI H5N1.

The Facts About Avian Influenza Brochure

Questions and Answers: Avian Influenza — The USDA’s question and answer document on AI.

USDA’s Avian Influenza Website — Bird flu information from the USDA.

CDC Bird Flu Site — The latest information on bird flu from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC Current U.S. Bird Flu Situation in Humans

Overview of Avian Influenza and U.S. Poultry Industry

Avian Influenza Information from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations – A website resource from the FAO with the latest information on AI worldwide.

HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP)

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is a management system focused on the prevention of problems in order to assure the production of food products that are safe to consume. It is based on a common-sense application of technical and scientific principles to the food production process from field to table. The principles are applicable to all phases of food preparation, including basic agriculture, food preparation and handling, food processing, food service, distribution systems, and consumer handling and use.

Training:  Visit the International HACCP Alliance’s website for training locations/information. AAMP will also list in-person training through its event calendar

Documentation (Information provided by Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel, Dirigo Food Safety)

• Farm Biosecurity Audit (Word document)
  
• Food Defense Audit - Template (Word document)

RECALL INFORMATION

A food recall is a voluntary action by a manufacturer or distributor to protect the public from products that may cause health problems or possible death. The purpose of a recall is to remove meat or poultry from commerce when there is reason to believe it may be adulterated (injurious to health or unfit for human consumption) or misbranded (false or misleading labeling and/or packaging).

Recall SOP (USDA Complaint) – Information provided by Dr. Michele Pfannenstiel, Dirigo Food Safety.

Responding to a Food Recall – This manual is designed for food service directors and managers to reference when a food recall notice for a USDA commodity food is issued through USDA/FNS, or a food recall notice is issued for a purchased food by the manufacturer or responsible government entity.

FSIS Recall Website

FDA Recall Website

Implementing a Recall Program For Small Meat Processors – Pork Fact Sheet produced by Dr. Benjy Mikel (University of Kentucky).

Guidance Document: Product Recalls, Including Removals and Corrections (U.S. Food & Drug Administration)

Association of Food and Drug Officials Recall Resources

FSIS Directive 8080.1 – Revision 8: Managing Adulterated or Misbranded Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products – This directive provides the terminology, responsibilities, and public notification procedures regarding the voluntary recall of FSIS-inspected meat and poultry products.

FSIS Recall Process – A presentation-style overview of the recall process.