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USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has issued a revised directive outlining financial management procedures for state cooperative inspection programs. The directive replaced fiscal guidance that had been in effect since March 2004.

Given the headlines coming out of 2025, it would be reasonable to expect a shift in recall patterns in the food industry. Yet, looking past the headlines and into the numbers, 2025 remained remarkably consistent with the past decade of recall trends, in terms of count and cause. 

The Memorandum of Understanding expands interagency collaboration on food contaminant monitoring, including for toxic heavy metals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), under the National Residue Program.

Effective July 20, to support risk surveillance, the agency will perform metals analysis on samples that are already collected for allergen verification.

As part of the pilot, FSIS plans to evaluate a shortened moving window for Salmonella performance standards.

Reoccurring, emerging, and persisting (REP) strains cause foodborne illnesses over extended periods of time, rather than through isolated outbreaks. The REP framework was jointly developed by CDC, FDA, and USDA-FSIS through the Interagency Foodborne Outbreak Response Collaboration.

Real-world data from meat processors show Clostridium perfringens is rarely detected in fully cooked meat and poultry products and remains uncommon even when deviations from USDA-FSIS Appendix B parameters are reported, challenging assumptions underlying regulatory limits for growth during stabilization.

As it stands, the bill would mandate that USDA provide guidance on HACCP plans to small and very small meat processors, require USDA and FDA to define “honey” and establish honey authenticity testing standards, and initiate other directives.

As the agency continues to delay enforcement of Salmonella verification testing for not-ready-to-eat, breaded and stuffed chicken products, Consumer Reports is asking for evidence to support USDA-FSIS’ assertion that currently available test methods are not suitable, which contradicts the agency’s previous stance.

USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears, in collaboration with the Partnership for Food Safety Education, is calling on food safety educators nationwide to help dispel misinformation about the safety of the food supply amid the current New World Screwworm infestation.