Today’s top story from the Department of Agriculture: Secretary Brooke Rollins has just launched a sweeping new plan to fortify the nation’s meat, poultry, and egg safety. At the ceremonial opening of the new 70,000-square-foot Midwestern Food Safety Laboratory in Normandy, Missouri, Secretary Rollins unveiled a host of upgrades designed to make America’s food some of the safest in the world.

The heart of this effort is a dramatic boost in microbiological testing, especially targeting Listeria—a bacterium that can be deadly in ready-to-eat foods. According to the USDA, inspectors will now use modernized lab equipment, and the number of Listeria tests has more than doubled this year, with over 23,000 samples already analyzed. The Food Safety and Inspection Service, or FSIS, is also ramping up detailed, in-person Food Safety Assessments—a 52% increase over last year. To make it all work, inspector training is getting a reboot, with over 5,200 USDA inspectors engaging in a new weekly questionnaire system capturing real-time Listeria data.

But it’s not just federal labs seeing change. The USDA is investing $14.5 million through newly updated cooperative agreements with all 29 participating states, creating stronger partnerships for food safety oversight. These measures are set to raise consumer confidence and protect public health nationwide. In the words of Secretary Rollins, “We feed the world. We lead the world. And we’ll never let foreign adversaries control our land, our labs, or our livelihoods.” That commitment was reinforced last week, when USDA and the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security jointly announced a National Farm Security Action Plan in response to recent agrotech sabotage attempts by foreign nationals—a sobering reminder that food safety is truly a matter of national security.

For American citizens, these initiatives mean not just safer food but greater trust in what’s on their tables. Businesses from packing plants to small farms will see stricter oversight but also new partnerships and funding to help them adapt. State governments benefit from more robust federal support, while the international community gets a clear signal: U.S. agricultural standards are only getting tougher.

Elsewhere at USDA, school nutrition standards are getting an update—the agency announced added sugar limits for breakfast cereals, yogurt, and flavored milk, phased in between 2025 and 2027, giving schools and manufacturers time to adjust and reformulate products to keep meals healthy without disrupting students’ routines.

Meanwhile, the agency has published this month’s loan rates, with farm operating loans at 5.0% and ownership loans starting at under 2% for some down-payment programs. If you’re a producer, check your eligibility or use the new online Loan Assistance Tool at farmers.gov.

Looking forward, stay tuned for further collaboration between USDA and local partners as these food safety and nutrition rules roll out. For updates on public meetings and ways to weigh in, head to usda.gov or your nearest USDA service center.

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