The trade offs currently reflected in FSIS Directive 10,010.1 should be eliminated, as all beef slaughter and most processing plants will be required to conduct systematic testing. FSIS's program should be dynamic, not static. The agency should alter its testing program based on data derived from both government and industry testing. The focus should be on identifying the riskiest plants and products and taking appropriate measures to assure their safety. Other issues posed by USDA Retail versus slaughterhouse sampling FSIS should continue to conduct tests at both the plant and retail levels.
Retail testing can help the agency detect problems that fall through the cracks of plant testing.
Expansion of the sampling program to Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter Absent findings of actual risk to the public from Listeria or Campylobacter in raw beef products, we don't support increased testing of these hazards in raw beef products. Consumers' responsibility for food safety Industry commenters have asserted that consumers should assume more responsibility for their own safety, an assertion that both USDA and consumers strongly reject. Clearly, consumers can and should take precautions to protect themselves from food-borne illness. Relying on consumers to bear of the responsibility for the risk associated with this deadly food hazard is no more acceptable today than in 1994, when FSIS's adulteration policy withstood a federal court challenge. FSIS should continue to reject any backward attempts by the meat industry to shift the burden for food safety solely onto consumers.