This study evaluated several aspects of salmonella contamination of pork after slaughter but prior to retail. First, a comparison was made between the USDA-FSIS carcass swab procedure and two other sampling methods. The FSIS carcass swab had the lowest level of sensitivity in comparison to excision samples and the M-Vac sampling device. This suggests that the carcass sponge swab method may be providing less accurate results, leading processor to miss early signs of processing deviations. A second comparison was made between the prevalence of salmonella as determined by carcass swabs, loin swabs and trim samples in a commercial establishment. The data shows that salmonella on finished carcasses was rare, but when it did occur, it appeared to occur frequently within carcasses from the same herd. A higher incidence on carcasses was also reflected in positive loin samples. Finally, a series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential for conveyor belts to be a potential source of cross contamination. These studies showed that, irrespective of belt material type, conveyor belts could be a potential source of cross contamination, even at low populations.