2017 was a year of change. We transitioned to a new administration and new leadership within the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS, or agency). We said goodbye to Acting Undersecretary for Food Safety and FSIS Administrator Alfred Almanza and Assistant Administrator Dr. Dan Engeljohn, who served at FSIS for decades and provided leadership in their tenure. We welcomed familiar faces including Carmen Rottenberg, Paul Kiecker and Roberta Wagener into these new leadership positions. Change occurred within the industry as well with key retirements, company mergers and new leadership.
What does 2018 have in store for the meat and poultry industry? There is a plethora of issues facing our industry from trade to immigration to recovering from weather events. Below are a few regulatory and legislative issues that may affect the FSIS-regulated industry in 2018.