USDA Finds Meat, Poultry, Farmed Catfish are PFAS-Free; but Detects PFAS in Half of Wild Catfish

By Food Safety Magazine Editorial Team | Food Safety Magazine | April 28, 2025

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"The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) recently conducted exploratory sampling of meat, chicken, and Siluriformes fish (catfish) and tested them for 16 different types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate. The most recent sampling program expands on FSIS testing for PFAS residues in fiscal year 2020.

FSIS’ latest findings show that PFAS compounds are rarely detected in meat, poultry, and farm-raised catfish, using detection level of 0.5 nanograms per gram (ng/g) or parts-per-billion or (ppb). Specifically, less than 0.2 percent of beef, chicken, and farm raised catfish, and less than 0.3 percent of pork samples, contained detectable levels of the “forever chemicals.”