The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service has launched a new notification system that will provide electronic status reports on testing samples taken from meat, poultry and egg product establishments.

The Laboratory Electronic Application for Results Notification (LEARN) system will allow FSIS food personnel, agency staff, establishments and state officials to electronically monitor information on species identification, food chemistry, microbiological samples, and completed Salmonella/HACCP sets.

After undergoing a pilot test in several FSIS districts, LEARN is now online nationwide. The reports indicate whether a microbiological test initially indicates the presence of a pathogen. When confirmation testing is completed, a report with the final analysis is posted.

Sample status information will be automatically updated several times a day, with establishments and state officials receiving updated e-mail reports for individual samples. Agency personnel can access the information through an FSIS intranet site.