Constituent Update - May 15, 2026

Constituent Update - May 15, 2026

Building a Stronger Future for Food Safety Inspection

Earlier this week, FSIS brought frontline supervisors from across the country together in Richardson, Texas, for the 2026 National Frontline Supervisor Conference.

Frontline supervisors play a key operational role within FSIS, connecting district and agency leadership, workforce management, and field operations. They translate policy into consistent field implementation while supporting inspection personnel and maintaining strong working relationships with regulated industry.

The conference focused on workforce development that directly supports the agency's framework: strong people, smart systems, safe food. Navigating change, shaping culture, and building leaders were themes that ran through much of the conference's programming. Sessions addressed recruiting and retaining inspection personnel, building succession pipelines, and preparing supervisors to make consistent, well-supported regulatory decisions in the field.

Leadership emphasized that strong frontline supervision plays a critical role in maintaining positive public health outcomes as industry and food production technologies continue to evolve. During the event, FSIS Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom welcomed former Administrators Al Almanza, Carmen Rottenberg, and Paul Kiecker to join a leadership panel to discuss organizational development and effective supervisory leadership in practice amidst an ever-changing regulatory landscape.

FSIS is focused on building a workforce equipped with tools to lead through change while staying grounded in science. Investing in leadership development today positions FSIS to meet the food safety challenges of tomorrow.

Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom and Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Mindy Brashears at the 2026 National Frontline Supervisor Conference in Richardson, Texas.

FSIS Updated Import Presented Refused and Import Refusal Reason Datasets

Today, FSIS updated the Import Presented Refused and Import Refusal Reason datasets on the Import and Export Data page. The Import Presented Refused dataset includes lot-level information for import volume along with import refusal data at the lot-level. The Import Refusal Reason is provided as a secondary dataset, providing each refusal reason as its own row to facilitate analysis.

The Import Presented Refused and Import Refusal Reason datasets are updated monthly and posted the third Friday of each month, with data broken out by fiscal year (FY), starting with data from FY 2014 (starting on October 1, 2013) through the most recent FY. These datasets are released in an open, non-proprietary comma separated values (csv) format. Instructions on how to open csv files using Excel are available on the FSIS Sampling web page in the Comma Separated Values Guide section.

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 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
• Until June 1: Notice of Request To Revise an Approved Information Collection: State Meat and Poultry Inspection Systems
• Until June 2: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: New Poultry Inspection System
• Until July 6: Availability of Revised Food Safety Guideline for Egg Products

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 Directive 7120.1: Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products

Export Requirements Update

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

FSIS:

• Korea

APHIS:

• Japan

Complete information for FSIS products can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.

Complete information for APHIS products can be found at Export Restrictions on U.S. Animal Products for Human Consumption website. Select the countries listed above from the drop down menu for complete information.