The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced that it is suspending its Salmonella sampling program for Siluriformes fish (catfish) and fish products. The decision will take effect on July 13, 2022. FSIS is currently accepting comments through the Federal Register regarding the discontinuation of its sampling program.
FSIS originally established a mandatory inspection program for Siluriformes fish and fish products in December 2015, after a risk assessment of the food safety concerns associated with consuming catfish in the U.S. identified Salmonella as a hazard of primary concern. At the time of the risk assessment’s publication, the presence of Salmonella in catfish processing facilities, retail, and imports had historically been an issue. The risk assessment also cited a 1991 outbreak of Salmonella Hadar that was caused by catfish.