In addition to verifying food hazards, FSIS monitors which of the following?

• A. Shelf life
• B. Antimicrobial resistance
• C. Good commercial practices
• D. Labeling claims

Answer: (B)

Antimicrobial resistance is monitored because the use of antibiotics in food animals can select for bacteria on meat and poultry that survive treatment and can cause infections in people that are harder to treat. FSIS collects data on resistance patterns in pathogens found in meat and poultry as part of public health surveillance, helping to detect emerging threats, assess the impact of antimicrobial use on the food supply, and inform policy and interventions. This work addresses a broader risk to public health beyond simply verifying hazards in a single product, tying food safety to the effectiveness of antibiotics in human medicine. Shelf life relates to product quality and is managed by storage and labeling practices, while labeling claims and good commercial practices are about compliance and consumer information, not the ongoing surveillance of resistance threats.