WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) reflected on key achievements for 2023 that supported public health through food safety and boosted the supply chain.

“USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is focused on protecting the American public, and in 2023, we continued to advance initiatives toward this goal, including by empowering small establishments in producing safe food and meeting consumer expectations on labeling claims,” said Emilio Esteban, USDA under secretary for food safety. “As we reflect on the accomplishments of the past year, we remain committed to preventing foodborne illness, ensuring the safety of the nation’s food supply, and strengthening the food supply chain.”

Throughout the past year, FSIS hosted five roundtables to help small and very small plants produce safe food. The agency reached nearly 400 participants through this outreach effort.

In July, FSIS launched a monthly newsletter for small and very small establishments to help them stay on top of the latest developments that may impact their operations. In addition, FSIS used funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to assist more than 2,900 small and very small plants by reducing overtime and holiday inspection fees.

To meet smaller producers’ need for specialized outreach and guidance materials, FSIS released three new guidance documents— FSIS Guideline for Label Approval; FSIS Ready-to-Eat Fermented, Salt-Cured, and Dried Products; and FSIS Guideline to Control Salmonella in Swine Slaughter and Pork Processing Establishments — to help the industry produce safe and properly labeled food.

Looking to strengthen tribal sovereignty and self-sufficiency, FSIS participated in the launching of the Bison Pilot Project, which increases localized ground bison meat for tribal communities.

FSIS also assisted two tribal establishments — one within the Muscogee Creek Nation, the other within the Cherokee Nation — through the process of applying for federal inspection to slaughter and process cattle, sheep, goats and swine.

Working toward meeting consumer expectations on labeling claims, FSIS published the results of a nationwide survey, revealing that the current “Product of USA” claim is misleading to most consumers. From the survey results, the agency proposed a new rule with requirements for the use of the voluntary Product of USA claim on FSIS-regulated products.

After releasing a proposed regulatory framework to reduce Salmonella infections linked to poultry products, FSIS completed a peer-reviewed risk profile for Salmonella subtypes and collaborated on peer-reviewed quantitative risk assessments for Salmonella in chicken and turkey to inform new policies. The agency expects to publish a formal regulatory proposal in early 2024.

FSIS inspected 161 million heads of livestock and 9.8 billion poultry carcasses during the fiscal year 2023. In total, FSIS inspectors conducted 7.7 million food safety procedures at protein establishments.