CFA and other members of the Safe Food Coalition applaud the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service’s plan to set de minimis standards for residues of dioxins, heavy metals, and other chemicals on meat and poultry. The new standards will guide agency inspectors in determining when these chemical residues pose a threat to food safety. They will not, however, mandate limits on the amount of allowable contamination. For that reason, the groups urge the agency to also establish “action levels” that make clear when products contaminated by these chemicals must come off the shelves. The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have long set “tolerance levels” for antibiotics and pesticide residues, respectively, in meat and poultry. However, no such standards exist for dioxins, heavy metals, and many other chemicals. Under the USDA proposal, the agency will set de minimis levels for contaminants of concern that currently lack tolerance levels. When testing reveals that residues of these chemicals exceeds the de minimis level, the agency will notify the producer and provide assistance to address the contamination. The Safe Food Coalition members support this step forward, and urge the agency to exercise its full authority to protect the public from adulterated food. This should include setting “action levels” for the contaminants and requiring market removal when those levels are exceeded.