So far, during the current administration, we have seen a lot of food safety focus on FDA-regulated foods. This has taken the form of artificial colors, food additives, foods that are GRAS, etc. However, now USDA is getting more vocal on food safety. With an eye toward further protecting the US food supply and consumers, both USDA and FDA are moving forward with related industry initiatives, with USDA focused on a plan to “bolster food safety,” and FDA requesting increased industry recall communication and input on streamlining recalls, especially related to infant foods.
The USDA Plan to Bolster Food Safety enacts a five-step approach to:
- Enhance microbiological testing and inspection oversight. Focused on Listeria, the goal is to enhance testing methods to provide quicker results to industry and to detect a broader set of Listeria species, highlighting RTE facilities to help identify potential sanitation problems.
Industry impact: FSIS intends to perform more robust, in-person food safety assessments (FSAs), prioritizing RTE meat and poultry establishments. Even before the announcement, the agency had increased its oversight, completing 440 FSAs in the first half of 2025, a 52% increase from the same period in 2024 and testing over 23,000 samples for Listeria, a +200% increase from 2024.
TAG’s Take: If you are an RTE establishment, be sure you are prepared. With such increases in FSIS oversight, you are likely to soon be subject to an in-depth assessment – if you haven’t already!
- Equip inspectors with updated training and tools. With a key focus, again, on Listeria, USDA implemented a new weekly questionnaire for frontline inspectors to collect data on specific Listeria monocytogenes-related risk factors at all RTE establishments.
Industry impact: The data enables FSIS to identify developing food safety concerns which, in combination with the updated training, enables inspectors to look beyond individual noncompliances to see systemic problems that should be elevated and addressed.
TAG’s Take: While this initiative is internally focused, inspectors will be collecting more risk-related data in plants to determine systemic issues, which would likely require much more in-depth corrective action than would an individual noncompliance.
- Reduce Salmonella illnesses. FSIS is charged with finding a more effective, achievable approach to address Salmonella in poultry products.
Industry impact: The strategy will begin with listening sessions with key stakeholders to collaborate on best approaches that address concerns about the regulatory burden and costly impacts of the previous Salmonella Framework.
TAG’s Take: Salmonella has been a strong USDA focus for some time. Although the new administration has completely kiboshed the previous framework, it’s not letting go of the issue and any new solution may or may not be “better” than the previous.
- Strengthen state partnerships. USDA increased funding to reimburse states for meat and poultry inspection programs by $14.5 million and is requesting further Congressional funding. FSIS has also increased its collaboration and agreements with the states.
Industry impact: An increase in inspection funds means an increase in inspections.
TAG’s Take: Be on your toes and ready for the call!
- Empower inspectors to take action to drive compliance. FSIS is increasing enforcement, issuing notices of intended enforcement, or suspending facility operations, to address recurring noncompliance.
Industry impact: The agency has taken 103 enforcement actions in 2025, 36% more than the same period in 2024. Field supervisors are also instructed to now conduct in-person, follow-up visits when systemic issues are identified in an FSA.
TAG’s Take: With the above-stated increase in inspections and data collected during inspections, it is likely that the inspections will reveal more noncompliances. And when they do, action will be taken.
FDA:
- Recall Enhancements. With a goal toward increasing public awareness of recalls, FDA is requesting industry input on a “collaborative transformation” in managing and communicating recalls, particularly for recalls of infant formula, baby foods, and foods intended for children. The initiative would include public notifications for a broader range of situations than previously experienced; building its Enforcement Report system to increase the public’s ability to better access, target, and filter recall information; redesigning and digitizing the submission system and key recall documentation to support automated data extraction and AI-assisted analysis.
Industry Impact. FDA is encouraging food businesses to enhance and expand their communication with the public themselves while providing input on how industry and the FDA can communicate recalls faster and in formats that leverage new digital tools.
TAG’s Take. Although the current focus of recall improvement is on foods for infants and children, it is unlikely that FDA will stop there. So, taking a look at your current recall communication and determining how it can be enhanced to better inform consumers will not only put you in a better position when it is required, but will help to better protect your consumers and increase their trust.
While we’ve seen a lot more proposed action this year than actual action from the food regulatory agencies, there’s no doubt that more is being asked of the food industry, albeit currently more voluntary than regulated. But given the statistics cited by USDA and the “encouraged” industry action of FDA, we are going to toot a horn we so often do: Be proactive. Taking voluntary steps before a final regulation comes down puts you ahead of the game while increasing your overall food safety.
If you’d like assistance, give TAG a call. We can help!
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