YEAR IN REVIEW 2021 Legislative HURDLES This year, processors faced many regulatory issues few could have predicted BY BERNARD SHIRE | meatpoult r y@sosland.com T A number of regulations affected the meat and poultry processing industry in 2021 including many that impact labor in the industry. he US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced two months ago that it was launching a stronger effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products. " We're doing this because for 20 years there has been a decrease in production contamination, without a corresponding decrease in illnesses, " said Sandra Eskin, deputy undersecretary for food safety. She said more than 1 million consumer illnesses occur yearly, with 23% due to consumption of chicken and turkey. The agency will get help from the National Advisory Committee for 24 MEAT+POULTRY | 12.21 | www.meatpoultry.com Microbiological Criteria in Foods. USDA has been petitioned by consumer groups to make some Salmonella strains adulterants. She said FSIS will hold a series of roundtables and discuss approaches like pre-harvest performance standards with USDA and the Food and Drug Administration working together on the issue. The pork industry says it is " cautiously optimistic " about defeating Proposition 12, a new California law that would prevent pork from being sold in the state if pork producers don't meet criteria for animal confinement outlined in the law, which takes effect at the beginning of 2022. capa34 - stock.adobe.comhttp://www.meatpoultry.com