FSIS issued its landmark 1996 rule focusing on prevention and reduction of microbial pathogens on raw products. What is the name of this rule?

• A. HACCP Pathogen Reduction Rule
• B. Microbial Reduction Act
• C. Food Safety Modernization Act
• D. Pathogen Reduction/HACCP Systems

Answer: (D)

The key idea is recognizing the official name of FSIS’s 1996 regulation that paired pathogen reduction with HACCP systems. This landmark rule is titled Pathogen Reduction/HACCP Systems. It introduced HACCP-based preventive controls for meat and poultry plants and set pathogen reduction performance standards for raw products, shifting the safety approach from primarily end-product testing to proactive process controls. The other options don’t match the actual regulation’s title—one isn’t a real FSIS rule, and the Food Safety Modernization Act is a later, broader statute with different scope.