FSIS Updates for Small Plants - July 1, 2026

FSIS Updates for Small Plants - July 1, 2026

Information for small and very small establishments

Administrator Ransom Heads to Milwaukee

FSIS will host a booth at the 87th American Convention of Meat Processors & Suppliers' Exhibition on July 9-11. This exhibition is the American Association of Meat Processors annual convention to bring meat and poultry processors, industry suppliers, academic experts, and other industry professionals from around the world. If you're able to attend, please stop by and visit with Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom and connect with FSIS field personnel!

FSIS Leadership and Industry Navigated a Regulatory Journey

On June 24, Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears and FSIS Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom visited the 2026 American Meat Science Association Reciprocal Meat Conference in Amarillo, Texas. Later that day, participants headed to West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, for a Small Plant Session. During the first part of the conference, attendees engaged in a 90-minute rotation of workshops on validation, stunning and humane handling, biomapping, and water activity, coordinated by West Texas A&M University and Texas Tech.

Participants then sat down to hear Dr. Brashears' opening remarks. Dr. Brashears emphasized the importance of small and very small processes on rural communities, local economies, and America's food supply. Each attendee received a copy of the recently published Small Processors Action Plan, outlining Secretary Rollins' and FSIS' commitment to improving customer service while maintaining the highest food safety standards. Dr. Brashears said, "this is not about changing our standards, it's about improving how we serve," making it easier for small and very small establishments to meet regulatory requirements.

Dr. Ransom then kicked off the session leading small and very small establishment operators through the theme for June's FSIS Small Plant Session - "Welcome to Your Regulatory Journey".

Subject matter experts walked through the path of obtaining a Grant of Inspection, exploring financing and grant options, mastering compliance and navigating the unexpected, such as recalls and enforcement actions. Establishment operators used this opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns, and talk through real challenges - continuing the journey of how the agency serves the small and very small plants that are vital to our nation.

Pictured above: Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Field Operations Robert Witte giving an overview on obtaining a grant of inspection.

In Case You Missed It: Message from Dr. Brashears

USDA continues its aggressive approach to protect animal health, support producers, and maintain confidence in the food supply. Dr. Brashears' message is clear: New World screwworm is a serious animal health issue, not a food safety issue. Remember these food safety facts: screwworms do not infest meat, FSIS inspectors examine every eligible animal for signs of infestation, and any product that does not meet food safety standards does not enter commercial food supply.

Watch Dr. Brashears' message.

Latest Regulatory and Program Updates

The momentum across FSIS continues in the month of June. These are the key updates that could be important for your operations.

Policy
On June 17, we issued a revised, abbreviated ready-to-eat questionnaire which focuses on three questions that have the greatest impact on public health and risk of Listeria contamination in an establishment. The questionnaire was updated based on feedback over the past year from our inspection personnel. The weekly input provided meaningful information on conditions across establishments and played a key role in identifying trends and developing recommendations. This updated questionnaire will continue to provide valuable information to help strengthen prevention and verification activities.

For specified risk materials (SRM) in cattle, a revision of FSIS Directive 6100.4 was released on June 1 to clarify how IPP are to verify establishment procedures and producer records to identify cattle 30 months of age and over. The latest update includes guidance on making age determinations by examining cattle teeth instead of producer records. When using Dentition in Cattle, FSIS considers cattle with eruption of the second pair of incisors to be 30 months or older. You can find more resources on what guidelines FSIS inspectors use to verify age determinations.

Comment reviews are still underway on the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on establishment size definitions, NPIS Line Speed, and NSIS Line Speed proposals. We value your perspectives on these rulemaking efforts.

Resources & Support
Temporary overtime and holiday inspection fee reductions remain available during FY 2026. We recognize that overtime use often looks different for smaller operators than it does for larger establishments. You may find periodic opportunities for overtime to accommodate seasonal demand, staffing needs, or production schedules. If you have questions about how the fee reduction applies to your operation, contact your district office team or reach out through askFSIS.

Sampling & Testing
FSIS announced a new pilot project for raw poultry establishments to measure Salmonella levels throughout slaughter or processing operations. This pilot will be open to chicken and turkey slaughter or processing establishments under one or more of the current poultry Salmonella performance standards (carcass, parts, and comminuted) that incorporates either Salmonella biomapping into their food safety system, or a validated Critical Control Point (CCP) to control Salmonella into their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plan. Interested establishments should submit a biomapping sampling plan or information on the validated CCP intervention to FSIS.

Salmonella categorization postings were updated on June 12 after FSIS identified samples that hadn't been included due to a data transfer error. While the number of establishments impacted was low, FSIS acted quickly to strengthen data transfer controls to prevent future issues. Individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, and comminuted poultry products were posted on the Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting page. FSIS uses these sampling results to assess establishment performance during a 52-week moving window. The results are posted on the first week of the month.

FSIS announced a small-scale pilot sampling program in ready-to-eat (RTE) post-lethality exposed (PLE) meat and poultry establishments. Starting in July 2026, the pilot will add two food contact surface and two nonfood contact surface swabs to the existing routine product sampling task performed by inspection personnel in RTE PLE establishments. Adding these swabs into existing sampling tasks will improve FSIS' ability to identify sanitation concerns and potential Listeria harborage sites earlier. No additional product holds are needed beyond what is already required for routine sampling and will have minimal impact on establishment operations. Training of inspection personnel in the pilot circuits was completed in June, focusing on aseptic sampling techniques. Three circuits were selected for this pilot - San Fernando (Alameda), Canton (Chicago), and Baltimore (Raleigh).

Workforce
We are continuing to hire and onboard mission-critical positions. FSIS has expanded career options for veterinarians by adding a career ladder for the District Veterinary Medical Officer positions. This career ladder will help the agency attract and retain veterinarians. This change reinforces the agency's commitment to developing talented professionals and ensuring that employees can build long, fulfilling careers. 

Items for your to-do list:

• If you use (or would like to start using) overtime or holiday inspection services, contact your local FSIS District Office or askFSIS to learn more about available fee reductions.
• Do you produce egg products? Review the updated Food Safety Guideline for Egg Products and submit comments by July 6. Questions? Contact askFSIS.
• Review updated retail exemption dollar limitations to determine whether they affect your operation.
• Plan ahead on labeling: take advantage of the extended deadline to ensure compliance with retained water labeling requirements by Jan. 1, 2027.
• Submit your draft retained water protocol and associated data through askFSIS to solicit feedback from the FSIS Office of Policy and Program Development. On askFSIS, navigate to "Policy Questions," "Ask a Policy Question," and complete the webform and attach related documents.

Continue using askFSIS and the Small Plant Help Desk when questions arise and monitor the weekly Constituent Update newsletter for future opportunities to provide feedback on policy and regulatory issues. Don't want to dig through your email to re-read these newsletters? Bookmark the Updates for Small Plants page on the News & Announcements section of the FSIS website.

FSIS to Host Webinar on Modernized PHIS Export 9060 Process

FSIS invites exporters and trade groups to a webinar demonstrating the modernized Public Health Information System (PHIS) Export 9060 process. The session will walk participants through the updated export application workflow and is planned ahead of the July 17 deployment to the PHIS Industry Test Environment.

Two sessions are scheduled on July 16, to accommodate participants' schedules. The content will be identical in both sessions, so participants may join either one.

• Session 1 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. ET: Modernized PHIS Export 9060 Process
• Session 2 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET: Modernized PHIS Export 9060 Process (encore)

Each session is approximately 90 minutes and will be recorded. A link to the recording will be made available after the event for those unable to attend live.

The modernized 9060 export process will be available in the PHIS Industry Test Environment (ITE) beginning July 17, giving exporters an opportunity to explore the new workflow before it deploys to the PHIS production environment in late September 2026. Content will be developed and delivered by the PHIS program team in collaboration with the PHIS contractor.

This webinar is one part of a broader communications effort that includes updated PHIS Help tutorials and articles in the FSIS Constituent Update and Small Plant Newsletter. Participants will have an opportunity to submit questions during the session. For questions about this webinar, please contact [email protected].

Knowledge Article

askFSIS Public Q&A: How do FSIS personnel verify the establishment removes the tonsils of the head and tongue from cattle of all ages that are saved as edible, the distal ileum in cattle from all ages if they harvest or use cattle small intestines for casings or edible products, and the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) from cattle 30 months of age and older as required by 9 CFR 310.22(a)?

Removing the Tonsils from Head and Tongue
When the establishment uses a knife to remove the lingual tonsils, FSIS personnel will verify the establishment makes their transverse cut caudal to (just behind or below) the last vallate papillae to remove the tonsils within the mucosa and submucosa layer of the tongue.

If the establishment uses a skinning machine to remove the tonsils, FSIS personnel will verify that the establishment removes no less than 5 mm (~0.2 inches) from the surface of the tongue down to the muscular layer caudal to (just behind or below) the last vallate papillae.

Removing the Distal Ileum

The distal portion of the ileum (the last 80 inches of unstretched small intestine that attaches to the large intestine at the junction of the cecum and colon) is considered an SRM. FSIS personnel are to verify that the establishment effectively identifies, removes, and disposes of the distal ileum of the small intestine (9 CFR 310.22(d)) if the establishment harvests or uses cattle small intestine for casings or in the manufacture of edible products (e.g., tripas, beef chitterlings, edible rendering). The photograph on the left shows the basic anatomical features to help determine the location of the most distal point (point located the farthest from the Rumen) of the distal ileum portion of the small intestine. This photograph identifies the cecum (a blind ending pouch which opens into the intestinal tract at the junction of the small and large intestine), and the ileum (distal portion of the small intestine) as it attaches to the cecum. The ileocecal junction is exposed by lifting the large intestine, which allows it to be more easily recognizable.

Removing the Dorsal Root Ganglia

DRG are nodular enlargements of nerve tissue representing the junction of spinal and peripheral nerves. DRG are considered SRM from cattle 30 months of age and older. FSIS personnel will verify that the establishment effectively identifies, removes, and disposes of DRG from cattle 30 months of age and older before the carcass or part is shipped from the slaughter establishment unless they are shipping carcasses with the vertebral column intact to another federally inspected establishment for further processing. DRG exit the intervertebral foramina and are usually located anterior and ventral to the transverse vertebral processes in the lumbar region as seen in the diagram to the left.

IPP can find additional instruction in Directive 6100.4, Verification Instructions Related to Specified Risk Materials in Cattle of All Ages.

Questions? Please submit them through askFSIS by filling out the web form on the FSIS website.

Visit askFSIS for more answers to common questions.