1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Recent actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture affecting meat and poultry processing and food safety oversight raise important questions about public health, worker protections, and the integrity of federal regulatory processes. In March 2025, the USDA announced policies allowing pork and poultry processing plants to maintain extended waivers for higher line speeds and begin rulemaking to formalize those increases. The USDA also eliminated requirements for plants to submit certain worker safety data, a change the agency said was justified by research showing no direct link between processing speed and workplace injuries. At the same time, the USDA has disbanded two key food safety advisory committees—the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection—which historically provided scientific guidance from experts across academia, industry, and consumer advocacy on issues affecting food safety. Critics, including consumer groups and former committee members, say that eliminating these panels reduces expert input into food safety policymaking at a time when such guidance is most needed. Additionally, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service withdrew a proposed rule aimed at limiting salmonella contamination in raw poultry products, a move that critics argue represents a step away from data‑driven measures designed to reduce foodborne illness. These developments occur in the broader context of recalls and investigations related to meat safety, such as a recent recall of tens of thousands of pounds of pork and other products that were found to bear fraudulent inspection labels—a reminder of the ongoing challenges in ensuring food safety. Congress has a constitutional duty to oversee federal regulatory agencies and ensure that food safety standards protect public health and worker welfare. Oversight should include: - Reviewing changes to processing line speed policies and worker safety reporting requirements - Assessing the impact of eliminating expert advisory committees on science‑based policymaking - Evaluating the implications of withdrawing salmonella control proposals American consumers and workers deserve confidence that meat and poultry products are safe and that regulatory agencies are guided by scientific rigor and transparency, not convenience or cost‑cutting. Congress must act to uphold those standards.