Reminder: FSIS to Hold Annual National Small Plant Roundtable
FSIS is holding its annual National Small Plant Roundtable on June 6, 2025. This year’s meeting will be held in conjunction with the Southeastern Meat Association’s (SEMA) Annual Convention and Trade Show. Participants can attend the round table in person, virtually or by phone. The details to RSVP and attend are below.
FSIS National Small Plant Roundtable
June 6, 2025, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET
One Ocean Resort & Spa: Solaria Conference Room 1
Ocean Blvd Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233
RSVP is requested but not required. RSVP using the FSIS National Small Plant Roundtable Registration form to let us know if you plan to attend in person or virtually.
During the roundtable, FSIS will provide information that is relevant to small and very small establishments. FSIS Administrator Dr. Denise Eblen, members of FSIS’ Office of Field Operations and Office of Policy and Program Development, and USDA Agricultural Marketing Service will be in attendance. Establishment owners/operators can share their thoughts, concerns and suggestions during the roundtable.
Note: If you plan to attend the FSIS roundtable ONLY, you do not need to register for the SEMA convention. However, if you are interested in attending another SEMA event or the SEMA convention in its entirety, you must register on the SEMA convention website: 2025 SEMA Annual Convention and Trade Show.
For more information, please contact FSISCongressional@usda.gov.
FSIS’ FY 2024 Sampling Summary report is now available on the FSIS website. The report includes results from the domestic microbiological and chemical sampling programs for beef, pork, Siluriformes, poultry, and egg products. The report also includes results for chemical and microbiological testing of imported product. Data from other sampling programs and special projects are also included.
FSIS has released the Consumer Labeling Research Final Report, which outlines the results from a recent study designed to test consumer responses to potential revisions to the Safe Handling Instructions (SHI) label. FSIS contracted with RTI International to conduct the study. The study involved a literature review; listening sessions with consumer, industry, and other relevant stakeholder groups; focus groups; in-depth interviews; and a web-based experimental survey. Several alternative labels were designed by a renowned graphic design expert and consumer response was assessed. This study adds to an extensive body of research already commissioned by FSIS on the SHI label. The previous SHI study, as well as other consumer research studies are available on FSIS’ website.
Two After-Action Review (AAR) reports for outbreaks investigated by FSIS and public health partners are now available on the FSIS website. These AAR reports summarize outbreaks of Salmonella linked to charcuterie meats and Salmonella linked to ground beef. Both reports highlight lessons learned from the investigations and identify ways to prevent or solve future outbreaks. Previously published AAR reports can be found on the FSIS Outbreak Response page. To learn more about outbreaks investigated by FSIS, annual summary reports, and resources, visit the FSIS Outbreaks page.
PHIS Q&A
I have had access to PHIS in the past but haven’t used it in the last couple of months. I’m now getting a message that says my account is inactive. How do I get access again?
If it’s been more than a couple of months since you’ve used PHIS, you can lose access to the system. After 90 days of non-use, your account will be inactivated, but sometimes it takes less time than that before losing access. Users listed with an Administrator responsibility in the Profile > Contacts page can try these steps to reactivate:
- First, go to https://phis.fsis.usda.gov/enrollment
- Put in your username and password
- Select Log in
- Select OPEN FSIS Dashboard
- You should be back at the home page of PHIS with all the roles you had previously
If this does not work, contact the administrator at your facility and ask them to provide access again by using their establishment or corporate administrator role, selecting User Management > Manage Users. Select the radio button on the right side for inactive, and on the right side of where the name comes up, select Open, then choose the “Activate” link. To provide immediate access to the facility again, the administrator should select Run PHIS Data Feed on the bottom right of the screen.
Visit PHIS Help for Industry for additional resources.
Knowledge Article
askFSIS Public Q&A: STEC Intervention and Non-intact Raw Beef Products
No. It is up to establishments, through their hazard analyses, to determine if food safety hazards are present in their operations. If an establishment determines that a food safety hazard related to Shiga toxin producing E. Coli (STEC) in these raw non-intact beef products is reasonably likely to occur in its operation (i.e., because it has already occurred in that process at that establishment), a supportable and validated critical control point (CCP) is required to be implemented. In light of recent and past recalls associated with these raw non-intact beef products, establishments that produce them should strongly consider the possibility that STEC contamination is a hazard reasonably likely to occur during their production and consider the use of an intervention.
Questions? Please submit them through askFSIS by filling out the web form on the FSIS website.
Visit AskUSDA.gov and include “askFSIS” in your search terms for more knowledge articles on this and other topics.
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