USDA Seeks Input on Poultry Plant Cleaning Rules
Published Date: 7/20/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Agriculture wants your thoughts on a plan to keep meat and poultry safer by checking how companies clean and handle food. This affects meat and poultry businesses who must follow new rules to reduce germs and food sickness. You’ve got until August 19, 2026, to share your ideas, and the goal is to make the process easier and clearer without costing extra money.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 5 costs, 0 mixed.
Large Paperwork Burden and Comment Deadline
FSIS estimates this information collection covers 6,087 business respondents, with Total Burden Hours of 7,045,283, and the public may submit comments by August 19, 2026. The collection is listed under OMB Control Number 0583-0103 and includes recordkeeping, occasional reporting, and daily activities.
Written Sanitation SOPs Required
If you run a meat or poultry establishment, FSIS requires you to develop and implement written Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs). This information collection is part of FSIS oversight under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act.
Regular Microbial Testing Duty
If you operate a slaughter facility, FSIS requires regular microbial testing to verify process controls prevent and remove fecal contamination and related bacteria. The collection covers testing and associated recordkeeping and reporting.
Salmonella Performance Standards Apply
Establishments covered by this collection must meet Salmonella pathogen-reduction performance standards as part of FSIS verification activities. Meeting those standards requires monitoring and recordkeeping tied to pathogen reduction rules.
HACCP Systems Must Be Implemented
Establishments must develop and implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems as preventive controls to improve the safety of meat and poultry products. FSIS will collect information to verify HACCP implementation.
Aims to Reduce Foodborne Illness
FSIS says the collection supports requirements designed to reduce pathogenic microorganisms on meat and poultry and reduce foodborne illness associated with those products. The agency is collecting information to verify establishments follow those safety measures.
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