Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins unveiled a modernized Midwestern Food Safety Laboratory in Missouri on Tuesday, at an event where she also rolled out a comprehensive plan to combat foodborne illness.
The 70,000-square-foot facility near St. Louis will support new testing methods for listeria, which have resulted in a more than 200 percent increase in samples from last year, USDA said in a statement.
“USDA is charting a bold new course in giving consumers confidence their meat, poultry, and egg products meet our best-in-class food safety standards,” Rollins said in the USDA statement. “I look forward to continued collaboration across the Trump administration, with states, and with food producers from farm to table, to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health.”
The five-pronged plan Rollins outlined includes enhancing microbiological inspection oversight; updating training for Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors, combating salmonella illness, strengthening state partnerships, and bolstering enforcement action.
