FSIS to release establishment-specific data for public review.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has jurisdiction over meat, poultry, and egg products in the U.S.  FSIS employs thousands of food safety inspectors who evaluate products in facilities across the nation and at ports of entry into the U.S.

• FSIS has announced that it will begin quarterly releases of establishment-specific data to the public in accordance with the Agency’s Establishment-Specific Data Release Strategic Plan. The quarterly releases initially will include information on the processes used at regulated establishments, as well as a code for each facility that will make it easier to sort and combine future data sets on a facility-specific basis. FSIS also will release test results for Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in ready-to-eat foods.  Ultimately, the data sets will be expanded to include additional information such as results from pathogen testing (e.g., Salmonella and Campylobacter results in poultry) and routine chemical residue testing data.  FSIS has indicated its intent to use criteria such as data availability and potential impact on public health to determine which data are best suited for release.

• The move for greater transparency is part of the Obama Administration’s “Open Government Plan,” and the data sets will be published on data.gov on a quarterly basis starting 90 days after publication in the Federal Register.