Veronica Wong Joins, Export Restrictions Move to APHIS

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Constituent Update Friday, April 03 2026

Constituent Update - April 3, 2026

Office of Food Safety Staff Update

Veronica Wong joins the Office of Food Safety as Chief of Staff. She spent years working across USDA and Capitol Hill, including serving as Chief of Staff for USDA’s Research, Education and Economics mission area and directing USDA’s Office of Congressional Relations. She knows the science, the policy, and the people who drive our mission to protect public health through a safe food supply.

Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears (left) administers the oath of office to Veronia Wong (right). Photo by Office of Communications photographer Christophe Paul.

Stakeholder Engagement

On March 24, FSIS joined government, academic, and industry partners at the Association of Food and Drug Officials Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Meeting in Atlanta, Ga. Discussions focused on reducing Salmonella illnesses in poultry, including opportunities to modernize performance standards, improve data on consumer poultry consumption, and assess the impact of evolving cooking technologies like air fryers. The One Health workgroup addressed food safety risks across interconnected systems, with special attention to recurring, emerging, and persisting (REP) strains such as a Shiga toxin–producing E. coli linked to outbreaks involving leafy greens, beef, and recreational water.

On March 30, FSIS Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom delivered the keynote address at the International Food Automation Networking Conference in Atlanta. He spoke about advancing inspection through the agency’s framework of strong people, smart systems, and safe food. He focused on supporting the workforce and updating policies to keep pace with rapid advances in food processing technology. He also highlighted ongoing efforts to evaluate emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, advanced sensing systems, and remote visual inspection. He noted these tools can enhance food safety outcomes while complementing the judgment and expertise of FSIS personnel, not replacing it. The audience consisted of international leaders in robotics, artificial intelligence, data science, and agricultural technology.

FSIS Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom delivered the keynote address at the International Food Automation Networking Conference in Atlanta. Photo by FSIS Acting Deputy Administrator for Science and Policy Jeremy "Todd" Reed.

The following day, Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears spoke at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety Annual Meeting. She provided updates on agency priorities related to Salmonella reduction and Listeria prevention. She highlighted the agency’s commitment to data-driven approaches, trend analysis across commodities, and targeted support for small and very small establishments to strengthen risk prevention.

Dr. Brashears delivered a similar message at The Poultry Federation Food Safety Conference on April 1 in Hot Springs, Ark. She also discussed FSIS’ recent line speed proposals, noting that advances in automation and real-time monitoring support both efficiency and food safety.

Together, these engagements reflect FSIS’ continued commitment to working with partners to advance science-based policies, strengthen oversight, and reduce foodborne illness to protect public health.

Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears addressing the audience at The Poultry Federation Food Safety Conference in Hot Springs, Ark. Photo by Senior Advisor Dr. Parrish Endy.

FSIS Public Q&A Resources Coming Soon

As announced in the March 6 , 2026, Constituent Update, beginning March 23, the public questions and answers (Q&As) for askFSIS, the Small Plant Help Desk, and the Meat & Poultry Hotline moved to a new website: ask.fsis.usda.gov.

On April 6, a new landing page will launch, providing a one-stop location for accessing FSIS public resources and contacting experts with questions. From this page, users will be able to easily search more than 1,200 publicly available consumer Q&As (in English and Spanish) and more than 800 inspection policy Q&As. They will also be able to submit written questions and contact askFSIS, the Small Plant Help Desk, and the Meat & Poultry Hotline directly.

Enhanced search features—such as browsing by recently published date, topic, and associated FSIS issuances (including Directives and Guidelines)—will be rolled out over time. Once all Q&As are updated to support the new features, users will be able to find information related to inspection, food safety, and regulatory requirements more quickly and easily.

Export Library Update: Animal Health Restrictions Now on APHIS Website

As announced in the March 20, 2026, Constituent Update, on April 1, FSIS moved animal health export restrictions for U.S. animal products for human consumption to the new Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website. The FSIS Export Library previously listed products ineligible for export based on state, country, or zone restrictions. Those listings now link to the relevant country page on the APHIS website.

This change applies only to U.S. export restrictions based on Foreign Animal Diseases that APHIS has identified in the United States. These include diseases such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Newcastle Disease, African Swine Fever, and Foot and Mouth Disease. This change does not apply to animal health restrictions in foreign countries that affect U.S. imports. FSIS will continue to maintain import information in the FSIS Import Library. It also does not apply to foreign country requirements related to food safety, such as Trichinella or Cysticercosis.

FSIS will continue to share Export Library updates. If you encounter technical issues or broken links on the APHIS site, contact APHIS at aphisweb@usda.gov.

FSIS welcomes feedback on these changes. Send comments to fsis@usda.gov.

FSIS Posted Updated Datasets

On April 3, 2026, FSIS updated the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, and comminuted poultry products on the Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting page on the FSIS website. Additionally, FSIS posted the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing young poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, or not ready-to-eat comminuted poultry products at the location linked above.

The following datasets were also updated to include the latest quarter of data. In addition, all earlier years of data were updated as is done annually each April:

1. Quarterly establishment-specific laboratory sampling datasets:
   • Raw Poultry Product Sampling
   • Egg Product Sampling
   • Raw Beef Product Sampling
   • Ready-to-Eat Product Sampling
   • Siluriformes Product Sampling (earlier data updated only)
   • Raw Pork Product Sampling
   • National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) Cecal Sampling Data
2. Quarterly establishment-specific datasets on inspection tasks:
   • Livestock Humane Handling Inspection Tasks
   • Poultry Good Commercial Practices Inspection Tasks

FSIS Is Hiring — Help Protect America’s Food Supply

FSIS is filling senior leadership roles across three offices, and we want candidates who will shape food safety policy and advance public health for American families.

Open positions:

Office of Public Health Science:

• Assistant Administrator

• Deputy Assistant Administrator
  Office of Policy and Program Development:

• State and International Equivalence Staff Director

• Labeling and Program Delivery Staff Deputy Director
  Office of Field Operations:

• Executive Associate for Regulatory Operations
  Office of International Coordination:

• Assistant Administrator
  More openings are on the way. Browse the full list of current vacancies and share with anyone ready to lead in food safety.

Available for Public Comment

FSIS seeks public comments on proposed rules and notices, which are viewable on the FSIS Federal Register & Rulemaking webpage. FSIS is currently seeking comments on the following:

• Until April 13: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Sanitation SOPs and Pathogen Reduction/HACCP
• Until April 20: Maximum Line Speed Under the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS)
• Until April 20: Maximum Line Speed Rates for Young Chicken and Turkey Establishments Operating Under the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS)
• Until May 11: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Nutrition Labeling of Major Cuts of Single-Ingredient Raw Meat or Poultry Products and Ground or Chopped Meat and Poultry Products
• Until May 18: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Public Health Information System: Public Health Information System (PHIS)
• Until May 19: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Procedures for the Notification of New Technology and Requests for Waivers
• Until May 22: Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Voluntary Destruction of Imported Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
• Until May 26: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Laboratory Assessment Requests

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy update was recently issued:

FSIS Notice 15-26: Reduction In Overtime And Holiday Inspection Fees For Small And Very Small Establishments

Export Requirements Update

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:

• China
• Belarus
• India
• Hong Kong
• Honduras
• Jamaica
• Iraq
• European Union
• Japan
• Canada
• Colombia
• Korea
• Albania
• Azerbaijan
• Barbados
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Curacao
• Burma (Myanmar)
• Benin
• Mexico
• Kuwait
• Mauritius
• New Caledonia
• Namibia
• Kyrgyzstan
• Jordan
• Kiribati
• Morocco
• Panama
• Kazakhstan
• Ecuador
• Chile
• Dominican Republic
• French Polynesia (Tahiti)
• Egypt
• Guatemala
• El Salvador
• Peru
• Singapore
• New Zealand
• Tunisia
• Taiwan
• Philippines
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates
• Nicaragua
• Uruguay
• Vietnam
• St. Lucia
• Qatar
• Solomon Islands
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• North Macedonia
• Australia
• Saudi Arabia Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.

Last Updated: Apr 03, 2026