The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to amend its regulations to require that all establishments that slaughter cattle (including calves) develop implement and maintain written procedures to prevent contamination of carcasses and parts by enteric pathogens (e.g. Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)) and fecal material throughout the entire slaughter and dressing operation and that they incorporate their procedures into their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plans or sanitation standard operating procedures (sanitation SOPs) or other pre-requisite programs (also referred to collectively as the HACCP system).
FSIS is also proposing to remove the current regulatory Salmonella performance standards for beef carcasses and ground beef from the regulations and the generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) testing requirements for cattle.