 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Public Meetings: Teleconferences to be Held on Interstate Shipment
In an effort to solicit comments on the proposed rule for interstate shipment, FSIS will hold two
teleconference calls for its stakeholders in October and November.
The teleconference format is being used to provide easier access for all individuals and to ensure widespread
participation.
The first meeting will be held on Oct. 27, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET. The other is scheduled for Nov. 5, from
12:30 to 4:30 p.m. ET.
Pre-registration for a meeting is required on the FSIS Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
meetings_&_events/index.asp
to receive conference call information. The agency encourages participants to join 10-15 minutes before the
meeting begins. Based on participation, a time limit will be set for comments. Additional comments may also be
submitted in writing to become part of the record as specified in the related Federal Register notice
published on Sept. 16.
Comments may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov,
or by mail to: FSIS Docket Room, USDA, FSIS, OPPD, Docket Clearance Unit, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Stop 5272, Beltsville,
MD 20705.
All comments must identify FSIS and docket number FSIS-2008-0039 and be submitted on or before Nov. 16. Comments
will be available for review at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/
2009_Interim_&_Final_Rules_Index/index.asp.
The interstate shipment program is a new voluntary cooperative program under which select state-inspected
establishments will be eligible to ship meat and poultry products in interstate commerce.
The program was created in the 2008 Farm Bill
to supplement the existing Federal-State cooperative inspection program to allow state-inspected plants with 25 or fewer e
mployees to ship products across state lines.
FSIS Continues Educational Outreach on Imported Products
The agency will conduct two educational meetings on Oct. 21 and 28 regarding the enhanced enforcement program for
imported products containing small amounts of meat or poultry ingredients.
FSIS enhanced its programs earlier this year to ensure approved source requirements are met and to achieve sanitary
processing and prevention of intentional or unintentional contamination.
During these meetings, industry organizations, importers and manufacturers of food products containing small
amounts of meat or poultry ingredients will learn expected requirements for these products to enter the United
States.
The Oct. 21 meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel at Homewood Suites, 5500 Blue Lagoon Dr., Miami, Fla., from 1 to 4 p.m.
The Oct. 28 meeting will be held at the Port of Seattle Conference Center, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
17801 International Blvd. South, Seattle, Wash., Central Auditorium, Mezzanine level, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Participants may also listen to both meetings by phone toll free at (888) 469-1930, passcode: import.
For more information and to register, contact the Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training at (800) 336-3747.
Also, be sure to check the Meetings and Events page on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Meetings_&_Events/index.asp for more updates.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following countries:
Complete information can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
Register for Regulatory Education Workshop
The agency will hold a regulatory education workshop in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, for owners and operators of small and very small plants.
The workshops will cover a variety of topics and prerequisite programs, including hazard analysis and critical
control points (HACCP), sanitation performance standards, sanitation standard operating procedures, rules of
practice, food defense strategies and E. coli O157:H7.
The Oct. 20 session will be held at Francisco y de Goya, Luchetti Industrial Park, Bayamón, P.R., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Online registration forms and information about upcoming sessions can be found at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Registration_Regulatory_Ed_Sessions/index.asp.
Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required.
FSIS Hosting Web Outreach Seminars
To promote a uniform understanding of FSIS regulations, the agency launched a six-part series of Web outreach
seminars for plant owners and operators-especially those of small and very small plants.
The fifth seminar, Selecting Scientific Documentation to Support Establishments' HACCP Plan, is on Oct. 27.
Meat and poultry processors are required to provide supporting documentation for all HACCP decisions. These decisions
in hazard analysis, critical control points, monitoring, validation and related issues utilize scientific
documentation.
A series of examples will illustrate proper selection of scientific documentation and highlight available resources
to aid in these decisions.
Three 90-minute sessions will be offered via net conferencing at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. (ET) to accommodate plant
owners and operators nationwide.
To register, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Regulatory_Web_Seminars/index.asp. E-mail questions about upcoming outreach seminars to
FSIS.Seminars@fsis.usda.gov.
Use FSIS Subscription Service to Get E-mail Updates
FSIS' e-mail subscription service is an easy way to keep up with food safety news. Throughout the FSIS Web site,
you will find small envelope icons that invite you to subscribe.
When you subscribe, you will receive an e-mail update when changes have been made to your selected pages. You can
add or delete subscription items at any time and have the option to protect your account with a password.
More than 70,000 subscribers take advantage of this free service. FSIS currently offers 48 subscription items to
choose from, across 7 major categories. Popular choices are recalls, news releases, the Constituent Update and
FSIS notices and directives.
Through its collaboration network, FSIS also links to FDA's and CDC's subscription services on a wide range of
food and health topics.
FSIS also offers RSS feeds. Look for the orange RSS symbol.
FSIS Features Food Safety Video-Cast
This week, the agency released a new video-cast designed to educate consumers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing
about food safety. Parallel to this week's new podcasts, FSIS released "Let's Talk Beef."
The agency developed this feature to provide consumers with an alternative vehicle of receiving food safety materials
either in written English or American Sign Language (ASL).
SignFSIS video-casts feature deaf ASL users translating food safety scripts from written English to ASL,
covering a variety of topics including E. coli and Salmonella and how to handle meat and poultry properly.
Users can access the video clips on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/
SignFSIS/index.asp.
New Podcast
Tune in to podcasts on selecting, handling and preparing meat and poultry products to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
This week, FSIS released this podcast helpful to consumers.
- Food Safety at Home: Let's Talk Beef (English, Spanish and ASL Videocast)
Check out this new podcast and renew your subscription at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/
Podcasts/index.asp.
Spanish language consumer podcasts are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/En_Espanol/
Podcasts_SP/index.asp.
Video-casts in American Sign Language are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/
SignFSIS/index.asp.
To continue automatically receiving podcasts, renew your subscription. For assistance, e-mail
podcast@fsis.usda.gov.
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli O157:H7
Weekly updates for the FSIS raw beef E. coli sampling program are posted to the agency's Web site.
For comparative 2008 and 2009 results, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
Recent Policy Updates
FSIS issues notices and directives to protect public health.
The following policy update was recently issued:
- Notice 72-09, Fourth Food Defense Plan Survey.
All notices and directives are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
Regulations_&_Policies/index.asp. |
Last Modified:
October 19, 2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
