Salmonella continues to be one of the most challenging food safety issues facing the beef industry. In this webinar, Dr. Tatum Katz of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and Dr. Nikki Shariat of the University of Georgia will share what a deep dive into decades of outbreak data, geographic trends, and modern genomic tools reveals about what’s really driving Salmonella risk today.

Rather than new strains suddenly appearing, the research shows that the same Salmonella types tend to cycle over time, with risk shifting by region, environment, and production patterns. While higher Salmonella detections in raw beef increase overall risk, the exact timing of outbreaks remains difficult to predict—highlighting both the power and the limits of today’s surveillance systems.

What you’ll take away:

• Where to focus: How regional patterns can guide more targeted monitoring and interventions
• What to watch: Which trends in testing data may signal elevated risk
• How to plan: Why updating “Serovars of Concern” every two years makes practical sense
• What’s next: How advanced genomics and modeling tools can strengthen future control strategies

This session will translate complex science into practical, actionable insights food safety and operations teams can use today.