At the July 15 grand opening event for the new USDA-FSIS Midwestern Food Safety Laboratory in Missouri, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins teased the agency’s new food safety policy plan aimed at reducing foodborne illness.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which would restore some FDA funding and address some effects of the Trump Administration on the agency.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) laboratories now use an improved enrichment method for Campylobacter in poultry meat samples, which reduced enrichment incubation time by half, and shaved a day off of reporting times for results.
On July 7, Trump nominee Judge Stephen Vaden was sworn in as the Deputy Secretary of USDA. He previously served as General Counsel to USDA and on the U.S Court of International Trade during President Trump’s first term.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has announced Dr. Justin Ransom as its new Administrator. The previous Administrator, Dr. Denise Eblen, who served in the role in December 2024, will remain in the Office of the Administrator as Deputy Administrator.
USDA-FSIS released a notice in late June that it plans to extend its H5N1 Influenza A Dairy Cow Testing Program until September 30. Meanwhile, the EU released a new guidance document on preparedness, prevention, and response for avian flu in animals and food.
Rollins said she will exercise USDA’s authority to provide a “much-needed” funding increase of $14.5 million in reimbursements to states for meat and poultry inspection programs.
MSU says the program is ideal for early to mid-career professionals working in regulatory affairs, quality assurance, food safety, product development, or policy.
Current food safety oversight is spread across multiple federal, state, and local agencies, which Cotton says decreases efficacy, creates gaps, and slows response times to potential public health risks.
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