The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced recently that they will require producers to hold shipments of non-intact raw beef and all ready-to-eat products containing meat and poultry until they pass USDA testing for foodborne adulterants.

“This new policy will reduce foodborne illnesses and the number of recalls by preventing contaminated products from reaching consumers,” USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said. “Many producers hold products until test results come back. We're encouraging others in the industry to make this a routine part of operations.”

The new policy requires official establishments and importers of record to maintain control of products tested for adulterants by FSIS and not allow the products to enter commerce until negative test results are received. FSIS anticipates most negative test results will be determined within 2 days. The policy applies to non-intact raw beef products or intact raw beef products intended for non-intact use and that are tested by FSIS for Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli. Additionally, the policy applies to any ready-to-eat products tested by FSIS for pathogens.

FSIS developed the “hold and test” policy, which will reduce consumer exposure to unsafe meat products, based on public comment and input received on a Federal Register notice published in April 2011. FSIS estimates if this new requirement had been in place between 2007 through 2010, 49 of the 251 meat, poultry and processed egg product recalls that occurred during that time could have been prevented.

The notice will be posted shortly on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp and will be available at www.regulations.gov once it is published.