The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report urging the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to finalize food safety standards for the bacteria Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria in meat and poultry. This report serves as an update on previous GAO reports regarding USDA efforts to reduce foodborne pathogens and the challenges encountered in doing so. The authors conducted interviews with agency officials, food safety experts, industry organizations, and visited a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) lab.
The report highlighted that FSIS had paused work on four standards since 2019. While USDA designated Salmonella as harmful when present above certain levels in uncooked breaded stuffed chicken products in 2018, FSIS had not finalized any new or updated standards for Campylobacter and other illness-causing pathogens in meat and poultry products. Additionally, the FSIS halted work on standards for Salmonella in raw ground beef and beef trimmings, Campylobacter in ground chicken and turkey that has been heat-treated but not fully cooked, and Salmonella in raw ground pork. The agency is currently developing a framework for standards for Salmonella in raw poultry.
The GAO report emphasized the importance of improving federal oversight of food safety, a concern that has been on the GAO’s High Risk List since 2007. The report raised questions regarding gaps in oversight of Salmonella in meat and Campylobacter in turkey products due to delays in finalizing standards. It also noted that FSIS must develop and update standards within its limited control outside of the slaughterhouses and processing plants it oversees.
Furthermore, the report highlighted the need for coordination between FSIS and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to address pathogens that can infect animals on farms before slaughter and processing. The current memorandum of understanding between FSIS and APHIS does not clearly outline responsibilities for addressing and responding to specific pathogens originating on farms and entering processing plants.
The report cited a recent foodborne illness outbreak in 2024 related to Listeria-contaminated deli meat, which sickened 61 people in 19 states and resulted in 10 fatalities. This incident underscored the significant impact of harmful bacteria in food, causing illness in 1 in 6 Americans annually and leading to thousands of deaths. The GAO emphasized the urgent need to enhance federal oversight of food safety to prevent such outbreaks.
In response to these findings, the GAO provided several recommendations to food safety officials. These recommendations included developing a prioritization plan to address Salmonella in meat and create standards for Campylobacter in turkey parts, reviewing the public health effects of delaying proposed standards, updating the MOU with APHIS to clearly identify pathogens of concern, and providing educational materials to regulated plants to support compliance with sanitation requirements.
While the FSIS neither agreed nor disagreed with the recommendations, the GAO stressed the importance of implementing these measures to enhance food safety standards and protect public health. Overall, the report highlights the critical need for collaboration and proactive measures to address foodborne pathogens in meat and poultry products, emphasizing the importance of regulatory agencies working together to ensure food safety for all consumers.
