In two recent studies, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) looked at USDA’s efforts to ensure strong pathogen standards for certain poultry and pork products and FDA’s progress in managing the risk of elemental arsenic in rice products. Both studies show there is work to be done to make research and rules more definitive, conclusive and final.
In the GAO study, “USDA Should Take Further Action to Reduce Pathogens in Meat and Poultry Products,” the GAO found that while USDA has developed standards limiting the Salmonella and Campylobacter permitted in certain meats and poultry, it has not developed standards for other widely available products, such as turkey breasts and pork chops.