Food Safety

USDA Charts New Course to Provide Consumers Confidence in U.S. Meat, Poultry and Egg Products

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 20:18:38 GMT

When it comes to food safety, USDA is charting a bold new course to provide consumers confidence that their meat, poultry and egg products meet best-in-class food safety standards, explained U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins at the opening of the USDA’s new, modernized Midwestern Food Safety Laboratory.

On July 15, Rollins launched a comprehensive plan to bolster USDA’s efforts to combat foodborne illness. She says this plan better positions USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to protect the nation’s food supply.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring American consumers have the safest, most abundant, and affordable food supply in the world,” Secretary Rollins said in a release. “I look forward to continued collaboration across the Trump administration, with states, and with food producers from farm to table, to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health.”

FSIS will continue to work in close collaboration with partners like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure the safety of the entire food supply chain.

USDA’s 5-Point Plan to Bolster Food Safety
1. Enhance Microbiological Testing and Inspection Oversight
USDA is making continued enhancements to its Listeria testing method to provide quicker results to industry and to detect a broader set of Listeria species. These additional results highlight conditions where Listeria monocytogenes can thrive in facilities producing ready-to-eat (RTE) products and help industry and FSIS identify potential sanitation problems. In 2025, FSIS has tested over 23,000 samples for Listeria, a more than 200 percent increase in samples from 2024.

To support these enhanced testing efforts, FSIS opened its new, modernized Midwestern Laboratory in Normandy, Mo. During President Trump’s first term, FSIS collaborated across the Trump administration and with Congressional leaders to secure funding for a 70,000 square foot, state-of-the-art laboratory to replace the current outdated laboratory in St. Louis. This new facility will play a critical role in analyzing verification samples for foodborne pathogens and chemical residues and will also support efforts to streamline the FSIS laboratory system.

FSIS is also mobilizing its resources to perform more robust, in-person Food Safety Assessments (FSAs), prioritizing RTE meat and poultry establishments. In 2025, the agency completed 440 FSAs, a 52% increase from the same time period in 2024. These reviews proactively identify and address potential food safety concerns.  

2. Equip FSIS Inspectors with Updated Training and Tools
This year, FSIS implemented a new weekly questionnaire for frontline inspectors to collect data on specific Listeria monocytogenes-related risk factors at all RTE establishments. This new tool collects data to identify developing food safety concerns, allowing FSIS inspectors and their supervisors to take timely action to protect consumers.

FSIS is also enhancing its instructions and related training for inspectors to help them recognize and elevate problems with an establishment’s food safety system. New instructions aid inspectors in recognizing how to look beyond individual noncompliances and determine when an establishment has systemic problems that should be elevated and addressed. Since January, the agency also updated its Listeria-specific training and administered it to over 5,200 frontline inspection personnel.

3. Charge Ahead to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses
Rollins has charged FSIS to find a more effective and achievable approach to address Salmonella in poultry products. FSIS withdrew President Biden’s proposed Salmonella Framework in April in light of significant concerns raised by stakeholders about the regulatory burden and costly impacts it would have had on small poultry growers and processors. The Trump administration is pursuing a new, common-sense strategy on Salmonella to protect public health while preventing unnecessary regulatory overreach, which will begin by convening listening sessions with key stakeholders to collaborate on best approaches moving forward.

4. Strengthen State Partnerships
States are crucial partners in ensuring a safe and strong food supply and provide a vital service in bringing nutritious, affordable American food products to dinner tables across the country. In May, Rollins announced an additional $14.5 million in funding to reimburse states for their meat and poultry inspection programs and called on Congress to more sustainably fund these critical programs moving forward. This funding is needed to support more than 1,500 American businesses that rely on state inspection, including small and very small meat and poultry processors. She also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in May to improve collaboration between USDA and states moving forward.

Additionally, this year, FSIS signed updated, comprehensive cooperative agreements with all 29 states that operate state meat and poultry programs. These agreements clarify expectations for oversight and enforcement of food safety laws, provide comprehensive training for inspectors, and ensure regular coordination with FSIS. As part of its enhanced oversight of Talmadge-Aiken (TA) state cooperative programs, FSIS has completed in-person reviews at 77% (320 of 414) of TA establishments in the first six months of 2025.

5. Empower FSIS Inspectors to Take Action to Drive Compliance
FSIS is exercising its enforcement authorities and issuing notices of intended enforcement or suspending operations at establishments to address recurring noncompliance and ensure safe food production. The agency has taken 103 enforcement actions in 2025 to protect consumers, an increase of 36% over the same period in 2024. Additionally, FSIS has instructed its field supervisors to conduct in-person, follow-up visits when systemic issues are identified during a Food Safety Assessment. Follow-up visits by FSIS field supervisors bolster oversight to ensure an establishment fully addresses issues identified during a Food Safety Assessment and could inform enforcement action by FSIS.

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) CEO Ted McKinney praised USDA’s commitment to better equip USDA Food Safety Inspection Service inspectors and strengthen state partnerships.

“NASDA commends Secretary Rollins for including states as key partners in USDA’s Plan to Bolster Food Safety,” McKinney said in a release. “State meat and poultry inspection programs have been and continue to be essential to protecting consumers and supporting small and mid-sized producers and processors. This collaboration strengthens our food system and delivers clear benefits to farmers, processors and consumers nationwide.”

Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts said the Meat Institute appreciates Secretary Rollins’ bold investment and prioritization of tools to combat foodborne illness.

“At the same time, our members are leading an effort to ensure food safety remains a critical focus of the top executives of each company,” Potts said in a release. “The goal is to prioritize food safety in all operations from the C-suite to the consumer. We appreciate USDA’s partnership in reducing foodborne illness and we are eager to work with USDA on this shared priority.”

USDA to Reimburse States $14.5 Million in Funding for Food Safety Inspections

Tue, 27 May 2025 13:49:28 GMT

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins plans to exercise the USDA’s authority to provide a much-needed funding increase of $14.5 million in reimbursements to states for meat and poultry inspection programs. Without this funding, states may not have the resources to continue their own inspection programs which ensure products are safe, she said in a release on May 27.

“Today I exercised my authority to robustly fund state meat and poultry inspection programs to ensure states can continue to partner with USDA to deliver effective and efficient food safety inspection,” Rollins said in a release. “While the Biden Administration let this funding decline in recent years, the Trump Administration recognizes the importance of our federal-state partnerships and will ensure services that our meat and poultry processors and producers rely on will continue to operate on a normal basis.”

President Trump’s commitment to ensuring Americans have access to a safe, affordable food supply is reflected in the President’s 2026 budget proposal, Rollins said. It calls on Congress to address this funding shortfall moving forward.

This is not a sustainable path forward, USDA points out. Policymakers across the federal government are encouraged to come together to think through ways to continue these critical state meat and poultry inspection programs.

“The continued partnership between USDA and states to provide inspection services for meat and poultry processors of all sizes means food safety, food security and economic growth in rural communities across Oklahoma and the nation,” said Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture.

South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Secretary Hunter Roberts said, “State meat inspection programs play a critical role in ensuring the safety, quality, and availability of our nation’s meat supply and we’ve worked hard to expand market access for our producers through expanded capacity and the Cooperative Interstate Shipment program.”

In Iowa, state-inspected meat lockers expand market access, boost processing capacity, and provide consumers with more locally-raised protein options, adds Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

“In my tenure as Commissioner of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA), I have advocated for our federal partners to fully fund the agreements with states,” said West Virginia Commissioner Kent Leonhardt.

West Virginia has been a participant in the USDA State-Federal Cooperative Inspection Agreement for the last 54 years.

“The efforts of WVDA Meat and Poultry Inspection staff benefit both consumers as well as local producers looking to start or expand processing facilities,” Leonhardt said. “To properly support these efforts, funding must be a priority to maintain the 50/50 state-federal cost share. Therefore, we welcome and appreciate the additional funding to help support our local food system to shorten the distance food travels to our dinner plates.”

Your Next Read: Despite MAHA Report Implications, Stateler Says U.S. Pork Producers Work to Fill Protein Gap

5 Reasons Consumer Distrust In Our Food Supply Is Rising

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 14:13:15 GMT

Bread, check. Blueberries, check. As I wheel my grocery cart alongside the deli case, I’m taken aback at what I see. Rather, it is what I don’t see that has me wondering, “What in the world?” This section of my favorite grocery store is now almost completely empty, except for a couple of ham loaves and a renegade block of cheese.

In a slightly distraught tone I ask the worker behind the counter, “What’s going on?” He hesitates for a moment, then replies, “The store is in the process of changing suppliers for our deli products. We should have more of a selection next week.” Then it dawns on me: my favorite brand of deli meat and cheese, Boar’s Head, has officially been blacklisted by my go-to grocery store.

I should not have been surprised. Boar’s Head began its fall from public grace on July 26, 2024, when the company issued a recall for more than 207,528 lb. of product due to potential listeria contamination. The CDC linked the contamination to 61 illnesses and, tragically, 10 deaths. It was the worst listeria outbreak in the U.S. in over a decade.

The outbreak was ultimately traced to a production line at the company’s Jarratt, Va., plant. According to USDA inspection reports, which USA Today had to obtain through a Freedom of Information Act request, 69 reports of non-compliance were recorded at the Jarratt plant between 2023 and 2024. What was in those reports was unsettling. Documentation of insects live and dead, black and green mold, mildew, dripping and standing water, as well as other unsanitary conditions within the plant in the weeks leading up to the July recall. In a move that was too little too late, Boar’s Head announced on Sept. 13, 2024 that the Jarratt plant would be closed permanently.

In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his famous novel “The Jungle,” which exposed the horrific conditions in the meatpacking industry at the time. The writer’s work proved to be an instant bestseller to the masses. The irony is that nearly 120 years later, one might find it hard to discern whether they’re reading a current USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) report or a chapter straight out of “The Jungle.”

Just One Of Many
The Boar’s Head case was only one the high profile food recalls last year. Remember the E. coli contaminated onions on McDonald’s quarter pounders? Then, Costco issued a massive recall on their Kirkland Signature brand of organic eggs because of a threat of Salmonella. And to cap off the year with the scariest illness yet, on Dec. 18, 2024, the CDC confirmed a patient in Louisiana had been hospitalized with the nation’s first severe case of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, aka the “bird flu.”

If it seems that the number of food recalls are coming at us at a more fast and furious pace than ever, then your gut instinct is spot on. The Food and Drug Administration, which reports food and cosmetics together, says 1,908 such products were recalled in the fiscal year that ended in September. That’s the highest number since 2019. Such a constant barrage of warnings is having a serious affect on consumers’ overall psyche — and not in a positive way. According to a September 2024 Gallup report, only 57% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the government to keep food safe. This number is a 27 point decrease since 2019, and is a record low for the Gallup Consumption Habits Poll since its inception in 1999.

This explosion of 20th century foodborne illnesses has me asking the same question I asked the worker behind the deli counter: “What’s going on?”

5 Reasons To Be Skeptical
There are multiple reasons consumers have good reason to be less confident in the safety of their food.

First, there’s the government. Second, more and more of our food is imported, which makes it harder to inspect. Third, you have a growing quest for more natural food, which sometimes circumvents traditional inspection channels. Fourth, industry consolidation means only a handful of players control both the production and processing. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but if something goes wrong, it’s probably going to be big. Finally, we now have the ability, through more technology and data, to find, detect and isolate the specific source of contamination and document it.

Time For An Overhaul
Food safety policy and implementation at the government level is in need of a serious overhaul. There is a chance it could actually happen. In 2018, the previous Trump administration proposed consolidating federal food oversight into a single agency with USDA.

There are so many common sense things that a fully functioning food agency could do. For one, start with better and more noticeable country of origin labeling (COOL) on imported foods. It should be prominent, displaying the country’s flag as the primary indicator of origin. If nothing else, we’ll all get better at geography. Next, companies that embrace new technologies that prevent contamination should be rewarded with tax credits. We do it for electric cars. Why not for safer food?

Finally, the most important change needs to come in the form of accountability and transparency both from the food industry itself and the government that regulates it. That didn’t happen in the case of Boar’s Head, and 10 people lost their lives because of it. In the age of AI and social media, those FSIS plant inspection reports should be posted on platforms such as X and Facebook for the public to see in real time. Without such transparency, we’re no better off than we were back in 1906.

FDA Proposes New Front-of-Package Food Labeling to Help Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:17:48 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a new front-of-package (FOP) labeling rule aimed at helping consumers make healthier food choices quickly and easily. This “Nutrition Info box,” a black-and-white design, will display levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, categorized as “Low,” “Med,” or “High,” along with the percent Daily Value for each nutrient.

Based on extensive research involving nearly 10,000 U.S. adults, this initiative seeks to complement the existing Nutrition Facts label and simplify decision-making for shoppers. If finalized, large manufacturers would have three years to comply, while smaller businesses (less than $10 million in annual food sales) would have four.

Example of Proposed Info Box

(FDA )

The FDA anticipates this measure will empower consumers, encourage healthier product formulations, and contribute to reducing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

“For example, when comparing yogurt, the Nutrition Info box could help them identify a yogurt that is lower in added sugars,” said FDA in a statement.

Public comments on the proposal are open until May 16, 2025.

This new label is designed to complement the existing Nutrition Facts label found on the back of food packages, providing a more accessible and quick-reference guide for consumers.

FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., emphasized the importance of this proposal, stating, “It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that.”

FDA also says that by displaying simplified, at-a-glance, nutrition information that details and interprets the saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar content of a food as “Low,” “Med,” or “High” on the front of food packages would provide consumers with an accessible description of the numerical information found in the Nutrition Facts label.

What are other examples of what the nutrition info boxes could look like? FDA provided the examples below.

Examples of nutrition box info.

(FDA)

Food Recalls Reached Five-Year High in 2024

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 23:24:58 GMT

According to Consumer Affairs publication, there have been 154 recalls filed with federal food regulators due to contamination as of Dec. 30, 2024. The three big pathogens, E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella, have been responsible for those recalls. These stats are up compared to 87 recalls in 2023 and the highest number since 165 recalls in 2019. These numbers were available from the Food Industry Counsel .

Listeria recalls made the news with the biggest from BrucePac, which recalled more than 11.7 million pounds of ready-to-eat poultry and meat products in October. No illnesses were reported.

Boar’s Head also made news when more than 7 million pounds of deli meat was recalled and the contaminated meat hospitalized dozens of people. The CDC linked 10 deaths to the outbreak.

In December, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced actions to tighten Listeria prevention .

“As a science-based regulatory agency, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is constantly looking at ways we can and should evolve our processes to protect the public, maintain confidence in America’s food supply, and prevent foodborne illness,” said Dr. Emilio Esteban, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety. “These steps are common sense improvements to our work that will strengthen our food safety net as we continue improving the agency’s work to align with the best available science and practices.”

Salmonella contamination resulted in 61 recalls last year, more than doubling from 30 in 2023. It was the most since 98 recalls in 2018, reported meatingplace.com

In addition, E. coli recalls rose from 11 in 2023 to 13 in 2024, the most since 2019’s 29 recalls.

Additional info can be found from the CDC.

Agencies seek input on food date labeling

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:45:42 GMT

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration are seeking public input on food date labeling and related food waste issues.

Comments are due Feb. 3, according to a notice .

The agencies are looking for information on industry practices and preferences for date labeling, research results on consumer perceptions of date labeling and any impact date labeling may have on food waste, the notice said.

Some of the questions the agencies are seeking input on include:

Which products contain date labels, and which do not? Why do some products contain date labels and others do not?
What standards or criteria do manufacturers and producers consider when deciding which food date label phrase to use? Are different phrases used for different products or categories of products, and if so, why?
Are there legal or trade requirements or marketing standards that impact which phrases are used (i.e. local or state requirements, industry best practice standards, etc.)? If so, please describe.
What standards or criteria do manufacturers and producers consider when deciding what date to use? Would a particular product have a different date depending on the phrase used (e.g., would the date be the same or different if the phrase were “Best if Used By” versus “Use By” or “Freeze By”)? If so, please explain.
What challenges or limitations do food manufacturers have when establishing or changing food date labels? Are there costs associated with changing the date label phrase or date used in addition to the costs associated with any label change? If so, please explain what those are.
What data is available on the use of certain food date label phrases and cost to manufacturers, retailers or consumers?
How do grocery retailers determine that a food item is no longer sellable? Do the considerations differ depending on the food item? Do the considerations take into account the phrase and/or date on the label, and if so, how?
What studies or data are available on consumer understanding of current date labeling on food that FSIS and FDA regulate, and why are these studies or data important for FSIS and FDA to consider? Are there data and studies that demonstrate that consumers are confused by date labels and think the dates determine whether food is safe?
Are there any available studies or data on whether and how consumers consider food date labels when grocery shopping or when deciding to discard food at home?
What data are available on the most effective ways for presenting food date labels on food items so that consumers can easily access and clearly understand the information?
What studies exist on the factors that should be considered in a national education campaign aimed at reducing consumer confusion about date labels? Please explain the reasoning as to why a study should be considered.
What studies detailing the effects of date labeling on food waste should FSIS and FDA consider, and why?
What factors do firms (e.g., manufacturers, retailers, food banks) and individuals consider when determining which food items to donate or discard? Specifically, do firms or individuals use food date labels to inform decisions to donate or discard food items? Please provide supporting studies or data.
What estimates are available concerning the value of food that is discarded due to date labels, including any studies regarding the value discarded due to confusion of date labels?

Colorado Meat Company Recalls 90,000 Pounds of Meat

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:25:50 GMT

Source: Associated Press

A Windsor, Colo. meat company has recalled some 90,000 pounds of various meat and poultry products that were produced under unsanitary conditions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recalls Monday. Yauk’s Specialty Meats of Windsor, Colo., recalled:
• “Colorado Best Beef” brand various fresh, smoked and shelf-stable meat products.
• “James Ranch” brand jerky and summer sausage.
• “Rocky Plains Meats” brand hams, bacon, raw and smoked sausage, jerky and raw poultry.
• “John Long Farms” brand fresh and smoked pork products.
• “Horned Beef” brand jerky.
• “Mile High Hungarian Sausage” brand fresh and smoked bacon and sausage.

The products were produced between April 1, 2013, and Dec. 5, 2013 and can be identified by four-digit Julian dates ranging between 3091 and 3339. The products were sold in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

More than Hangry: What’s Really at Stake in Global Food Insecurity?

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 01:55:33 GMT

Do you remember what a trip to the grocery store was like at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, or thereafter?

Store shelves sat void of product as packers and shippers were unable to keep up with consumer demand. Trade slowed to a pace that led to a bottleneck of ships and trucks at ports and warehouses respectively.

D.C. made note of these supply chain downfalls and tried to pivot with funding, pop-up ports and weakened transportation regulations. While some of those supply chain links have been soldered in the past year, Russia’s war against Ukraine has added new pressure to global food security.

But the pressure doesn’t stop short of the supply chain, according to many government officials.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), someone known to say, “food security is national security,” shared a conversation with Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, along with a panel of policy, science and agricultural experts in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday to break down what’s really at stake in rising global food security.

Food Fuels Peace

The United Nations estimates that world hunger increased 1.5 percent in 2020 to roughly 800 million people.

With rising world hunger numbers, Ernst points to the war in Ukraine, extreme weather and the COVID-19 pandemic as fuel on the food insecurity fire. Ernst, along with Larry Sailer, an Iowa farmer and a farmer ambassador with Farm Journal Foundation, say these challenges pose an increasing threat to national security.

“Agriculture is the first building block of any economy, so maintaining a vibrant and innovative farming sector is absolutely critical to lift people out of poverty, build strong economies and eliminate hunger,” said Sailer. “A hungry person is not a peaceful person. National security for all countries depends on less hunger.”

Minimizing Global Hunger

The answer, according to Katie Lee, vice president of government affairs at Farm Journal Foundation, is rooted in ag research and development.

“The challenges we are seeing today, and the resulting impact on food prices and global hunger, should be a wakeup call that we need to invest more in agricultural research and development,” said Lee.

Following a tour of Iowa State University’s Seed Science Center , the largest seed lab in the world, Lee shared that ag innovation, like Iowa State’s, will be “vital” as populations continue to grow and natural resources are strained.

Up the Ante

Global hunger has been addressed for decades by groups like United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme. However, attention has been diverted from science, especially in the public sector, according to Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University president.

“Agricultural research and innovation like that happening at Iowa State University impacts nearly every major societal challenge, but this area of science has been massively underfunded for decades,” said Wintersteen. “Increasing our national investment in agricultural research is vital to support the public good and ensure our country’s leadership and competitiveness.”

While private sector research has significantly impacted yields for commodity groups like corn and soybeans, the public sector can support early research to “pave the way for long-term innovations,” according to Farm Journal Foundation’s press release of the event.

“The innovative agricultural research happening at Iowa State University is vital to finding the necessary solutions to combat global hunger,” said Ernst. “Ultimately food security is national security.”

More on trade:

Russia Sparks New Trouble in Grain and Oil Exports
John Phipps: Are Tariffs Part Of The Problem With Inflation?
3 Supply Chain Trends to Look Out for in 2023, According To AEM

Ordinary to Outrageous: Top 10 Agricultural Seizures of 2021

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 20:42:12 GMT

It’s no surprise pork products made the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Top 10 Agriculture Seizures of 2021 list more than once. Keeping deadly diseases of plants and animals out of the U.S. is a high priority for CBP, especially as the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus moves closer to the U.S.

In the past year alone, CBP issued 73,917 emergency action notifications for restricted and prohibited plant and animal products entering the U.S., the agency reports . In addition, CBP conducted 630,150 positive passenger inspections and issued 7,190 civil penalties and/or violations to the traveling public for failing to declare prohibited agriculture items.

Here are the Top 10 agricultural finds of 2021 from throughout the U.S.:

1. Papaya-Hidden Marijuana

In February, CBP officers at the commercial facility at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry seized more than 12,000 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $27 million found commingled within a shipment of papayas. A CBP narcotic detector dog immediately alerted to the shipment during a second inspection, and officers discovered 873 wrapped packages of marijuana.

2. Avian Eggs

In April, CBP ag specialists at the port of Memphis, Tenn., inspected a shipment from China on its way to New York City manifested as “The Scarf” and found that the shipment actually contained 750 unfertilized avian eggs. According to USDA, China is currently affected with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease, both of which are highly contagious and fatal to the U.S. poultry industry and various avian wildlife. The eggs were not accompanied by any documentation detailing the genus or species, nor was there any indication of their purpose, so they were destroyed.

3. Giant Land Snails and a ¼ Pound of Beef

CBP ag specialists working at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston intercepted 15 live giant land snails from a passenger’s luggage in early July. The passenger was traveling from Nigeria and initially only declared dried beef, but later amended her declaration to include live snails. During an examination of the passenger’s luggage, agriculture specialists found three plastic zip-closed bags containing the live snails with fresh leaves and about a quarter pound of beef. The snails were turned over to USDA, who identified the snails as giant land snails, also known as banana rasp snails.

4. Pork Sausages

In August, CBP agriculture specialists assigned to the Boston Logan International Airport encountered a 35-year-old female arriving from Santiago, Dominican Republic. During a baggage examination, 11 kilograms of pork sausages were discovered. Just a month prior, Dominican Republic officials confirmed the presence of African swine fever, a highly contagious disease of feral and domestic swine. The pork sausages at the Boston airport were removed and turned over to a USDA hauler for destruction.

Ag specialists uncovered 320 pounds of pork bologna and 30 pounds of turkey ham at the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing. Photo by U.S. CBP.

5. A Bunch of Bologna

CBP ag specialists assigned to the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing seized 320 pounds of pork bologna and 30 pounds of turkey ham in August. The meat was discovered during an inspection and had been hidden under blankets, under the seats, center console and inside a duffel bag. The individual was issued a $1,000 civil penalty, and the products were confiscated.

6. Botulinum and E.coli DNA Plasmids

A traveler arriving from Japan “reluctantly declared” he was in possession of Botulinum and E. coli DNA plasmids intended for research in September, CBP reports. An inspection revealed 27 vials of the biological material. The traveler lacked the required documents, including the official statement attesting to the non-infectiousness of the material, required by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After reviewing the samples, CDC agreed that more information was needed to determine admissibility. The traveler withdrew his application for admission to the U.S. and returned to his country with the biological materials.

7. Butterfly Larvae

Also in September, CBP agriculture specialists at the Port of Gulfport discovered a butterfly larvae pest, informally known as the Saunders 1850, while inspecting a shipment container of pineapples from Costa Rica. Due to the potential impact to U.S. agriculture, the shipment of pineapples, worth $15,000, was destroyed. According to USDA, this was the first time this species had been discovered in the United States.

8. Primate Arms, Dry Fish, Cooked Snails, Cow Skin and What?

In October, CBP’s agriculture team in Minneapolis discovered six large bags containing clothing, two primate arms, dry fish, cooked snails, plant material, cow skin, bushmeat and eru plant material. After notifying the CDC, the team seized the primate arms and bushmeat and destroyed them according to USDA protocol. The seeds were submitted to USDA for identification and the passenger was informed of human-health concerns with handling and consuming bushmeat, including the potential transmission of ebola and monkeypox viruses.

A total of 47 roosters and hens were found wrapped in stockings inside a purse, and underneath the seats, floor mats, inside the glove compartment and trunk of a vehicle at the Laredo Port of Entry. Photo by U.S. CBP.

9. Live Poultry

CBP officers at the Laredo Port of Entry intercepted a l arge clutch of live poultry hidden throughout a vehicle back in November. A total of 47 roosters and hens were found wrapped in stockings inside a purse, and underneath the seats, floor mats, inside the glove compartment and trunk of a vehicle in the SENTRI lane. A $500 penalty was issued to the driver for attempting to import prohibited agriculture items while being a SENTRI card holder. The SENTRI card was turned in to the SENTRI Enrollment Center, the vehicle was seized by CBP under 19 USC 1595, and the live poultry were seized and transferred to USDA’s Veterinary Services.

10. Fresh Peppers

In December, CBP ag specialists in Newark encountered a shipment of fresh peppers from Guatemala. During document review, the provided phytosanitary certificate, which must be used to facilitate importer plants and plant products, was blurry, and an original certificate could not be found. It was later discovered that the certification was fraudulent, which can alter the options for phytosanitary actions that must be taken to prevent the entry of plant pests, prohibited plant products, or animal products capable of introducing foreign animal diseases.

In an attempt to ease the process for travelers needing to declare agriculture and biological products prior to arriving at an airport in the U.S., CBP has moved the declaration process to the CBP One mobile application, which will give travelers more transparency throughout the request process, including real-time status updates by way of pushed notifications, which can also be sent to a group email, CBP reports. Travelers can also upload documents such as accompanying permits, certificates or statements of non-infectiousness for CBP review prior to arrival. Learn more here .

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

The Chickens That Didn’t Cross the Road in Laredo

$53 million in narcotics found in truck carrying Mexican cauliflower

Federal Agents Prevent Smuggled Animal Products from Entering the U.S.

K-9 “Kody” Sniffs Out Prohibited Sausages at Newark Airport

U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepts meth in strawberries

CBP Ag Specialists Block Bologna at Border Crossing

Food: A Serious Quest at Olympics

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:14 GMT

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — First, U.S. snowboarding star Chloe Kim tweeted about being “down for some ice cream” while competing in Pyeongchang, then about being “hangry” because she hadn’t finished her breakfast sandwich.

Clearly, food is a big deal for Olympians, and it’s usually much more complicated than ice cream and sandwiches: the very specific, highly calibrated fuel they put in their bodies — for energy, for health, for warmth, for a psychological and physiological edge — is an important part of what makes them excel.

Korean food is some of the world’s finest — savory, salty soups with fish so tender it falls off the bone; thick slabs of grilled pork and beef backed with spicy kimchi that many Korean grandmothers swear cures the common cold. But it’s very different from what many foreign Olympians are used to.

“What I recommend for athletes right now in competition mode is to be as safe as possible. This might happen once in a lifetime; you don’t want to blow it with just having an upset stomach because you’ve eaten something that’s different to what your body’s used to,” Susie Parker-Simmons, a sports dietitian for the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said in an interview in Pyeongchang. “I say, as soon as the games is over, go at it; enjoy, be adventurous.”

FEEDING THE ATHLETES

The U.S. team has its own chefs and dietitians, as well as two “nutrition centers” here. And then there’s the food at two athletes villages, where nearly 3,000 athletes from 90 different countries — most of whom strictly follow unique food routines — get fed.

The goal is to provide lots of everything.

The two villages each have massive, 43,055-square-foot dining rooms where nearly 500 chefs and cooking assistants provide a combined 18,000 meals per day. Each dining room is open 24 hours a day and offers about 450 different types of food in buffets that include Western, Asian, Korean, Halal, Kosher, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes, David Kihyun Kwak, the director of food and beverage at the Pyeongchang Olympics, said in an interview.

To determine what to serve at Pyeongchang, Kwak’s team analyzed food data for the past five Olympics and also worked closely with other nations’ nutrition specialists.

The amount of raw ingredients used each day to feed the athletes is staggering: 1,540 pounds of beef, 992 pounds of eggs, 771 pounds of lamb, 440 pounds of bacon, 374 pounds of chicken, 220 pounds of rice, 7,495 pounds of fruits and vegetables, about 15,000 pieces of bread and 800 pizzas.

FOOD SAFETY

Most Olympic athletes don’t eat outside of the villages because of worries about the purity of ingredients, Kwak said. The United States did tests before the 2008 Beijing Olympics that found some local chicken contained enough steroids to trigger positive test results.

Experts examine ingredients closely for possible contamination that could threaten athletes’ health or disrupt doping tests. South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has sent more than a dozen food safety specialists to take ingredients samples to buses equipped with fast-testing laboratories to look for potential problems before the food even gets eaten.

HOME COOKING

Finland’s Riikka Valila, the oldest women’s ice hockey player in Olympic history at 44, likes the food options here but misses the “really good bread” back in Finland. She said some of her teammates on gluten-free diets have brought food from home.

The Americans shipped over 85 pallets, each about 6 feet tall and 3 feet deep and wide, filled with pastas, sauces, peanut butter, grains and plants like quinoa, and spices, Parker-Simmons said.

There’s food meant to help with performance and recovery, but there’s also “psychological food,” which Parker-Simmons explains like this: Say an athlete training her whole life for the Olympics fails. She takes it hard; she stops eating. This is when the dietitians will turn to something special — a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, maybe, or Cheez-Its.

Vincent Zhou, a U.S. figure skater, said he needs a lot of carbs, “before, between and after sessions,” to fend off fatigue. “It hasn’t been very difficult finding comfort food,” he said.

EATING FOR PERFORMANCE

The work to optimize nutrition can seem as thorough as the work to perfect the sports skills.

Dietitians have to regularly test cross-country skiers, for instance, who have the highest energy expenditure of any sport in the world, Parker-Simmons said. An average-sized woman will need 4,000 calories or more per day to train and compete; a typical man needs about 7,000 calories, she said. Ski jumpers, on the other hand, sometimes have to drop 10 kilograms below their natural body weight, while keeping up their muscle mass and energy.

FANS SPLIT ON KOREAN FOOD

Foreign fans, of course, have their own food worries and routines.

South Korean officials have tried to provide menus in English and other languages to thousands of local restaurants. And the Korea Tourist Organization has published a brochure, complete with a hotline in English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese, that outlines “must eat” dishes and where to find them.

Some tourists embrace the exotic.

“I was impressed with the little fish, the eyes and everything,” Julie Thibaudeau, 53, from Quebec, said as she celebrated her son’s gold medal in mogul skiing in a local Pyeongchang restaurant. “I tried, and it was salty, but it was good. And after that I had a good glass of ... beer.”

Others play it safe. Very safe.

“We found Papa John’s (pizza) today, which was literally life-changing because ... we haven’t eaten a lot for the last few days,” Rachel Basford, 31, a teacher in Shanghai who’s from Kent, England, said while drinking in a fried chicken restaurant. “I’m not that adventurous when it comes to trying local foods. I just like to eat British food in various places around the world.”

Asked if she planned to try Korean food she said, with a laugh: “No. Absolutely not. We’re going to Seoul tomorrow so there’s the McDonald’s at Seoul Station, so that should be good.”

WILLPOWER IN THE DINING HALL

For the athletes, sheer abundance can be a danger.

When U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon got to Pyeongchang a coach told him about the last Winter Games in Sochi, when one of her athletes became very excited about all the food available even as his performance in training tanked.

The coach finally understood what was happening when the athlete donned his costume for the short program: “He’d been in the cafeteria the whole time; he’d gained seven pounds before the competition,” Rippon said with a laugh. “And my coach is sitting next to me, and he was like, ‘ha, ha, ha, ha,’ and he turned to me and said, ‘You’d better not get fat while you’re here.’”

Chloe Kim, by the way, finally got her ice cream — and a gold medal. She could be seen eating her treat while being swarmed by reporters.

Copyright, The Associated Press

McDonald’s Rules Out Beef Patties As Source of E. coli Outbreak

McDonald’s said Sunday that beef patties in its Quarter Pounder burgers aren’t the source of the E. coli outbreak which has killed one and sickened about 75 .

The fast food chain says it’s certain that any contaminated food has been removed from its supply chain, and is no longer in restaurants.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture said all samples of McDonald’s beef patties tested negative for E. coli.

The department of agriculture added that beef testing is done, and they don’t expect more samples.

U.S. fast-food chains have removed fresh onions from their menu after they were identified as the likely source of the outbreak.

E. coli is killed in beef when cooked properly, but the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder includes raw, sliced onions.

Affected restaurants are now serving the burgers without those onions.

Since the incident, McDonald’s has removed the Quarter Pounder from about 20% of its U.S. restaurants.

Previous E. coli outbreaks have hurt sales at big fast-food chains as customers stay away from affected outlets.

McDonald’s said it would soon start serving Quarter Pounders again, and they should be in all restaurants over the coming week.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh; Editing by Nick Zieminski)