The USDA’s Office of Food Safety (OFS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released “The Roadmap to Reducing Salmonella: Driving Change through Science-Based Policy,” which outlines programs and policies to reduce the pathogen in meat, poultry and egg products.

OFS and FSIS discussed the Salmonella roadmap at a virtual public meeting in September, where other participants included USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the FDA and the CDC. Stakeholders were invited to participate in the public meeting and comment on the roadmap and on the science that drives these Salmonella reduction efforts. 

“This roadmap represents FSIS’ commitment to lead with science and data in all that we do. It puts us on a course to aggressively target Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens,” says USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety Mindy Brashears. 

The roadmap is a visual representation of the activities within FSIS that are directly related to pathogen reduction. Programs include some of the agency’s future efforts to meet Healthy People 2030 public health goals and to reduce pathogen contamination, leading with science, building relationships and influencing behavior change to reduce Salmonella infections associated with FSIS-regulated products and to save lives, she says. 

For more information, visit www.fsis.usda.gov/meetings. 

The roadmap is available at www.fsis.usda.gov/FSISroadmaptoreducingsalmonella.