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The U.S. Department of Agriculture's mission is to provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science and efficient management. USDA's virtual representative, "Ask Karen," is available at AskKaren.gov. Food safety coaches are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET on the "Ask Karen Chat" and by phone at the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). Recorded messages are available 24 hours a day.

By April Haynes, OFO

In Alethea “Missy” Payton’s nearly 31-year career, she has advanced through FSIS in several in-plant positions: food inspector, consumer safety inspector (CSI) and supervisory CSI. She also was a resource management specialist (RMS) from 2017 to 2019 and again on a detail starting in 2023.

Continue Reading Faces of Food Safety: Meet Alethea ‘Missy’ Payton of the FSIS

By Maribel Alonso, Public Affairs Specialist • ARS, Office of Communications

Dr. Dayna M. Harhay is a Research Microbiologist at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, NE. For two decades with ARS, Harhay’s knowledge and expertise in microbiology, molecular biology, bacterial metabolism, serotyping, and genomic sequencing

Continue Reading Faces of Food Safety: Meet Dayna M. Harhay of the Animal Research Center

Summer sausage, kielbasa, bologna, bratwurst: The list goes on and on. There are so many varieties of sausage. How long can you store them — and where? Are they fully cooked or not? The following background information will answer these questions and others. Use the chart as a guideline for

Continue Reading Food Safety and Inspection Service gives the bottom line on sausage safety

FSIS’ International Liaison Director in Mexico City, Mexico, Ciarra Toomey, began her USDA career in 2008 as a trial attorney with the Office of the General Counsel’s (OGC) Trade Practices Division, now the Marketing, Regulatory and Food Safety Programs Division. In her role with OGC, Toomey represented and provided legal

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Program Analyst Cedric “Ced” Hardy proudly retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving for 20 years. He followed his military service with a 20-year executive career in the private sector. Hardy’s “third act” began in October 2020 with FSIS’ Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA).

LEPS Program Analyst

Continue Reading Faces of Food Safety: Meet Cedric Hardy of the FSIS

Dr. Kenneth Clevenger completed his undergraduate requirements at what is now known as the University of Texas at Arlington. After receiving his associate degree in animal science, he transferred to Texas A&M University and earned a bachelor’s degree in the same discipline.

After graduating with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Continue Reading Faces of Food Safety: Meet Dr. Kenneth Clevenger of the FSIS

Jerome Yoon has been with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for just over one year, serving as branch chief for the Office of Management’s (OM) Safety & Physical Security Branch (SPSB). In this role, Yoon supervises the Physical Security Team and the Safety Team, delivering technical expertise on safety-related

Continue Reading Faces of Food Safety: Meet Jerome Yoon of the FSIS

Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI) Stephen Jankowski celebrated his “golden anniversary” of federal service in October 2022. The son of Polish immigrants, first-generation American Jankowski and his siblings were raised on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin, where he had his first experience working with livestock. He began his 50-year government

Continue Reading Faces of Food Safety: Meet Stephen Jankowski of the FSIS