FSIS Expands Salmonella Initiative Program

WASHINGTONUSDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will expand and move ahead on the Salmonella Initiative Program (SIP) to help reduce and eliminate Salmonella in raw meat and poultry products before they reach consumers. The program also will support those in the industry who want to utilize pathogen-preventing technologies and techniques.

"Prevention is the best way to protect consumers," said Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "This program will encourage innovation by the industry to make food safer while providing us with data and information we can use to protect public health."

The voluntary, incentive-based program will allow participating establishments to operate under certain regulatory waivers in order to try new procedures, equipment or processing techniques to better control Salmonella. In return, SIP establishments collect product samples on each line during each shift of every day of production; establishments then use these samples to test for common foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and generic E. coli, and share this internal food safety data with FSIS.

The notice, which will be posted in the Federal Register, announced developments and changes regarding SIP, including allowing a limited number of establishments to operate with modified line speed as long as they participate in a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The notice also sets new deadlines for establishments currently operating with regulatory waivers to apply for the program, addresses comments previously received from stakeholders, and invites further comments on SIP for 60 additional days.