Two agencies under the U.S. Department of Agriculture have agreed to a collaborative effort to assess the root cause in outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which lays out the roles and responsibilities of each agency during a root cause assessment. Through the agreement, the two agencies “will provide a more comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to address foodborne health hazards potentially associated with meat and poultry products,” stated an FSIS constituent update. In addition, the agreement “will facilitate the sharing of information between agencies and assist in making science-based decisions on mitigation or intervention strategies.”
