Who is required to conduct Salmonella and Campylobacter verification testing?

• A. Establishment only
• B. EIAOs
• C. FSIS and establishment
• D. FSIS only

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that verification testing for Salmonella and Campylobacter is an oversight activity conducted by the enforcing agency. FSIS performs the official verification to confirm that a plant’s HACCP controls are actually keeping these pathogens under control. The establishment can do its own internal monitoring and testing as part of its HACCP plan, but those internal results aren’t the formal verification used for compliance decisions. FSIS has the authority and resources (labs or approved labs) to collect and analyze verification samples and make enforcement determinations. So, the verification testing is conducted by FSIS only.