Perhaps motivated by the recent deaths of two infants from listeria, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Dec. 17 announced several steps to strengthen the agency’s oversight of food processing facilities, with particular emphases on listeria monocytogenes and plants that make ready-to-eat products. Some will be implemented within 30 days (by Jan. 17).
Recent outbreaks and recalls include the deaths of two infants via RTE Chinese-style meat and poultry products from Yu Shang Food Inc. The products were infected with listeria.
“Over the past several months, listeria monocytogenes has been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks and large-scale recalls of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, causing the agency to review its processes closely,” the announcement said. “While the agency’s review continues, FSIS is announcing a number of improvements and initiatives that can be implemented quickly.
“The changes FSIS is announcing today fall into three categories: enhancing its science-based approach to mitigate foodborne pathogens, with a key focus on listeria monocytogenes; improving training and tools for its inspection workforce; and evolving its oversight of regulated facilities, with an emphasis on data review and state inspection agreements.”
FSIS said it will initiate the following changes in the next 30 days:
+ Enhancing regulatory and sampling approach to listeria. Effective in January, FSIS will add broader listeria species testing to all samples of ready-to-eat product, environmental and food contact surfaces. FSIS laboratories currently test these samples for listeria monocytogenes, which is the specific type of listeria species that causes illness. However, adding additional species testing will provide information about the effectiveness of a facility’s sanitation program and can signal to FSIS if follow up is needed.
+ Leveraging the expertise of its National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). NACMCF is a federal advisory committee that provides scientific advice and recommendations to USDA and other government agencies on microbiological and public health issues. In December, FSIS was to begin recruiting new committee members, with expertise in listeria, who will be given the specific charge of reviewing the agency’s regulatory approach to listeria monocytogenes. The committee’s input will be used to guide more long-term policy changes.
+ Equipping inspectors with updated training and tools to recognize and respond to systemic food safety issues. These will enable the entire FSIS workforce to recognize and highlight systemic problems in a standardized way. Agency inspectors will receive updated instructions and training, and FSIS field supervisors will routinely review these instructions with inspectors to ensure full understanding and appropriate application. Inspectors will also receive supplemental listeria monocytogenes control training designed to strengthen inspectors’ understanding of the regulatory requirements in FSIS’ Listeria Rule and how to verify establishments have designed and implemented food safety systems that comply with those requirements.
+ Conducting Food Safety Assessments at ready-to-eat meat and poultry facilities. Prioritizing these will provide information about the plants individually and collectively and could inform future policy or process changes to target this microorganism.
FSIS field supervisors will conduct in-person, follow-up visits when systemic issues are identified during a Food Safety Assessment. Follow-up visits will bolster oversight from more senior inspection staff to ensure a facility fully addresses issues identified during a Food Safety Assessment and could inform enforcement action by FSIS. Field supervisors will work with inspectors to ensure the facility stays in compliance.
The inspectors will verify specific listeria monocytogenes-related risk factors at ready-to-eat facilities weekly. These risk factors include changes in physical plant modifications, such as new construction; indicators of sanitation problems, such as condensation, roof leaks, damaged equipment or cracked floors; and listeria species- or listeria monocytogenes-positive test results from company testing.
FSIS district offices, agency field supervisors and inspectors will review, analyze and consider the weekly data from each facility to determine if there are systemic issues that warrant further action, such as a Food Safety Assessment, intensified sampling, or enforcement steps.
