Ms. Rachel Edelstein
Rachel Edelstein became the Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) on June 7, 2020. Edelstein leads the Agency’s efforts to modernize regulations, improve instructions to FSIS field personnel and eliminate unnecessary burden to the industry. These efforts align with FSIS’ Strategic Goals 1: Prevent Foodborne Illness and Protect Public Health and Goal 2: Modernize Inspection Systems, Policies, and the Use of Scientific Approaches.
Previously, she served as Deputy Assistant Administrator of OPPD since 2012.
Edelstein’s policy work has covered a range of issues that are important to both consumers and the industry. She finalized the policy that declared certain non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli to be adulterants in non-intact raw beef products and directed the development of related sampling instructions for inspectors. Following various outbreaks, Edelstein promoted stronger food safety protections through policy requiring establishments to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans for ground and comminuted poultry products. She also led the development of policies and procedures for the new sampling and testing of comminuted poultry products for Salmonella and Campylobacter.
As OPPD’s Assistant Administrator she led the development of the rules, guidance, and instructions to the field to modernize poultry slaughter inspection and swine slaughter inspection.
Edelstein has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts Degree in English from the University of Virginia.