USDA Study Finds No Trichinella in Pork

A USDA Agricultural Research Service survey of more than 3.2 million pork samples detected no Trichinella positives over 54 months.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Organic Food

Isometric editorial illustration of a single pale pork loin on a steel table beside empty hooks, in a muted cream, slate, and oxblood palette. — A USDA study of more than 3.2 million pork samples from 23 states found no Trichinella parasites over 54 months, supporting U.S. pork's access to trading partners. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

A newly published USDA study found zero Trichinella positives among 3,208,643 pork samples collected from 12 processing plants in 23 states over 54 months. The National Pork Producers Council urged the research.

Why it matters

Trading partners have restricted access to U.S. pork because the country lacked surveillance data proving the parasite risk was negligible. The study provides that evidence for the United States.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted the survey across 3,208,643 samples from 12 processing plants in 23 states over 54 months. Zero Trichinella positives were found, and the extraction does not state what follow-up steps are planned.

The players

USDA Agricultural Research Service

The USDA Agricultural Research Service is the principal in-house scientific research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

National Pork Producers Council

The National Pork Producers Council is the trade association representing U.S. pork producers in policy and trade matters.

The details

Pork was sampled at processing plants across 23 states for Trichinella, a parasite that can infect people who eat undercooked pork. U.S. pork producers participate in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus certification program.

Samples were collected over a 54-month period.
The study was published on November 3, 2026.

Health Landscape

The study adds surveillance data to the Pork Quality Assurance Plus certification program that U.S. producers already follow. It supplies the national-scale evidence that trading partners had been seeking on Trichinella.

Consumers who buy pork may see the findings reflected in future food-safety communications. The extraction does not describe any change to retail pork pricing or availability.

The takeaway

The study gives trading partners and consumers national surveillance data on Trichinella in U.S. pork. Readers who cook pork to recommended temperatures already guard against this parasite.