Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 11/1/11

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is asking its inspectors to review data from any programs that establishments use to control or monitor salmonella in raw classes of product.

FSIS issued Notice 57-11 in light of recent illness outbreaks related to salmonella contamination in raw ground turkey products.
The notice instructs inspectors at the next weekly meeting to seek answers to such questions as:

• What data are collected in support of each program? Does the establishment measure just positive/negative salmonella status for each sample, or does it collect additional information, such as:
o The level of salmonella contamination in each sample (enumeration)
o The kinds of salmonella found in samples by serogroup or serotype (e.g. Heidelberg, Hadar).
o Does the establishment view this data as a measure of the control achieved by each program? For example:
 Does the establishment analyze the data and track the results of each program? If so, what types of analysis does it do?
 Does the establishment use the data to support or verify the effectiveness of the particular program? If so, how does it use the data to perform this function?
 Does the establishment determine whether there are normal fluctuations in the data, or whether the particular program is not functioning as designed (i.e., is out of control)? On what basis does the establishment make this determination?
 Does the establishment respond if its data show that the program is not functioning as designed? What does the establishment do if it makes this data-based determination?

Read the full notice here. 

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