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.

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.

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.

An inspection mark on the label lets you know the meat or poultry product has been inspected and that it is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled. See FSIS' Inspection Programs.

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.

We provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.

What do we do? OIG Investigations is a law enforcement entity within USDA, with Department-wide investigative oversight jurisdiction and Federal law enforcement authority. OIG Criminal Investigators conduct investigations of fraud, waste, and abuse involving USDA programs, operations, and personnel.

FSIS provides for the inspection of each animal or bird at slaughter and processed products during various stages of production. FSIS inspects all raw meat and poultry sold in interstate and foreign commerce, including imported products. It monitors meat and poultry products after they leave federally inspected plants.

What is the FSIS tasked with? ›

FSIS protects the public's health by preventing illness from meat, poultry, and egg products. We do this by ensuring these products are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.

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.

Prerequisite programs are written procedures that describe particular activities of an establishment/plant that can be used to support decisions made in the hazard analysis. Prerequisite programs do not control food safety hazards.