New Performance Standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in Not-Ready-to-Eat Comminuted Chicken and Turkey Products and Raw Chicken Parts and Changes to Related Agency Verification Procedures: Response to Comments and Announcement of Implementation Schedule

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS or ``the Agency'') is announcing that it will begin assessing whether establishments meet the pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in raw chicken parts and not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted chicken and turkey products. It will also begin posting, based on FSIS sampling results and depending on the standard for the particular product, whether an establishment meets the FSIS pathogen reduction performance standards, or what category an establishment is in. This notice also responds to comments received on the January 2015 Federal Register notice that proposed the standards and announced changes to FSIS's verification sampling program.