On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) will begin a one-year sampling program of domestic beef, pork, and Siluriformes fish (commonly referred to as catfish) to determine levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. The survey is part of FSIS’ effort to monitor dioxin in regulated products to provide insight on changes in human exposure to dioxin-like compounds through diet.
Dioxins are a group of compounds of public health concern that are found in the environment, generally occurring at very low levels as persistent environmental contaminants. FSIS in-plant personnel (IPP) will conduct sampling and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will analyze the samples. The recently announced survey is the latest in the recurring five-year cycle of dioxin surveys that FSIS conducts with other federal partners, including ARS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).