Federal meat inspectors plan to start routinely swabbing surfaces inside ready-to-eat meat plants for Listeria in January 2027. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will phase the program in across its nine districts through March 2027, Food Safety News reported on Oct. 13. The schedule is tentative.
The program applies to FSIS-inspected plants that make products such as deli meats and hot dogs. It does not apply to deli counters in grocery stores.
