AskUSDA (2024)

FAQs

What is AskUSDA? ›

​​​ AskUSDA is a contact center that answers general inquiries from the public using trained agents and self-service options. To date, AskUSDA has partnered with 19 agencies to improve the customer experience offered to the public.

The guidance resource, askFSIS, is a Web-based computer application, designed to respond to technical and policy-related questions from FSIS inspectors, industry, consumers, other stakeholders, and the public.

FSIS protects public health by preventing illness from meat, poultry and egg products. We do this by ensuring these products are safe, wholesome and properly labeled. FSIS is part of a science-based national system to ensure food safety and food defense.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that United States' commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

It monitors meat and poultry products after they leave federally inspected plants. FSIS tests samples of egg products and meat and poultry products for microbial and chemical contaminants to monitor trends for enforcement purposes.

It is headed by the secretary of agriculture, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who has served since February 24, 2021.

The USDA is responsible for overseeing farming, ranching, and forestry industries, as well as regulating aspects of food quality and safety and nutrition labeling. The USDA is further tasked with administering several social welfare programs including free school lunches and food stamps.

These scammers try to pressure customers into giving them money or personal information. Scam callers can fake or “spoof” the caller identification (ID) on your phone, making it seem the call is legitimate. A USDA caller ID number appearing on your phone does NOT mean the person calling you is actually a USDA employee.

FDA, through its Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), regulates foods other than the meat, poultry, and egg products regulated by FSIS. FDA is also responsible for the safety of drugs, medical devices, biologics, animal feed and drugs, cosmetics, and radiation emitting devices.

What is the FSIS food defense Program? ›

FSIS promotes food defense by encouraging establishments to voluntarily adopt a functional food defense plan; implement food defense practices (including inside, outside, and personnel security measures); and conduct training and exercises to ensure preparedness.

Some canned food, such as some canned ham and seafood, are not safe at room temperature. These will be labeled "Keep Refrigerated." In order to be shelf stable, perishable food must be treated by heat and/or dried to destroy foodborne microorganisms that can cause illness or spoil food.

Acceptability Determination: Process by which a new ingredient or substance or a new use of an ingredient or substance is deemed safe and suitable in the production of meat, poultry, and egg products.