A Survey of the Levels of 16 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Meat, Chicken, and Siluriformes Fish, 2019 to 2023

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) conducted exploratory sampling of 16 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from 2019 to 2023. FSIS found that PFAS compounds are rarely detected in meat, poultry, and farm raised Siluriformes at a detection level of 0.5 ng/g or ppb. Less than 0.2% of beef, chicken, and farm raised Siluriformes, and less than 0.3% of pork samples contained detections of PFAS. Wild-caught domestic Siluriformes were frequently shown to contain at least one PFAS compound (48%; 110/228), though at lower levels compared to other surveys of freshwater fish in the U.S. The most detected PFAS compound in all samples was perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). FSIS plans to expand its method to include more PFAS compounds and lower its minimum limit of applicability (MLA) and will continue to regularly monitor for PFAS as part of the National Residue Program. FSIS will continue to aid state regulatory partners with analyses on a case-by-case basis.