Food & Agriculture

Safe Food Coalition’s Letter Outlines How USDA Can Use “Retrospective Review” to Better Protect Consumers

Members of the Safe Food Coalition recommend ways that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service can modify, expand, streamline, or repeal regulations to improve food safety, pursuant to Executive Orders 13563 and 13610. The recommendations include sharing more data and analysis of foodborne pathogen contamination with the public, expanding the regulatory definition of “adulterant” to include certain antibiotic resistant strains of Salmonella, and modifying testing regulations to ensure that antimicrobial rinses do not mask the presence of pathogens retail products. The letter also advises against using the review to weaken, delay, or eliminate important food safety protections, such as inspection requirements for imported meat, poultry and catfish.