USDA Releases Audit of FSIS Recall Procedures

WASHINGTON — The USDA Office of the Inspector General has released an audit report that evaluated FSIS’ recall procedures for adulterated or contaminated product that has already entered the food distribution chain.

The overall objective of the audit was to evaluate FSIS’ recall procedures for adulterated or contaminated product that has already entered the food distribution chain. Specifically, OIG (1) evaluated whether any improvements could be made to FSIS’ processes for handling recalls to ensure that accurate information is rapidly obtained and conveyed to the appropriate decision makers and (2) evaluated whether FSIS is taking full advantage of its current statutory authorities to address recall situations.

AUDIT RESULTS. FSIS needs to collect and analyze a more representative sample of intact product during an outbreak investigation to be able to conclude whether contamination occurred at the establishment under investigation. In addition, FSIS has not finalized and implemented its draft directive for investigating food-borne illnesses and its revised directive for handling recalls.

Recommendation 1
Develop and implement a science-based sampling protocol to collect and analyze a representative sample of product at an establishment to conclude whether contamination occurred there. The protocol should take into consideration the amount of relevant product available for testing.

Recommendation 2
Finalize and implement the new directive for investigating food-borne illnesses and the revised directive for handling recalls.