USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) this week announced changes to its product sampling programs for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. The Federal Register notice is available here.
In 60 days, FSIS will increase the number of product samples it collects under its Routine Risk-based L. monocytogenes (RLm) Sampling Program and its Intensified Verification Testing (IVT) protocol from three to five samples per sampling unit. In addition, FSIS laboratories will composite the five 25-g product samples from the RLm sampling program, which will increase the sample size of the analyzed test portion from 25 g to 125 g. FSIS said that it is making these changes so that its sampling procedures are more consistent with international practices, to conserve its laboratory resources, and to improve public health.
FSIS will accept comments on these changes to its sampling program through November 23, 2012.
