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USDA Announces Speakers for the 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum
This week, USDA announced speakers for the 2013 Agricultural Outlook Forum, "Managing Risk in the 21st
Century." The forum will be held Feb. 21-22 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, Va.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will present the keynote address, followed by the guest speaker, former
Senator Thomas A. Daschle, currently a senior policy advisor with DLA Piper. In addition, USDA Chief
Economist Joseph Glauber will present the 2013 U.S. Economic Outlook for Agriculture.
This year's food safety panel, "The Food Safety Revolution: How Far Have We Come? What's Next?,"
will be moderated by Elizabeth Weise of USA Today. Panel members include: Craig Wilson, VP for Quality
Assurance and Food Safety at Costco; Nancy Donley, STOP Foodborne Illness; and Dr. Rodney Moxley of the
University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
This year also marks twenty years after a major E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that led to that strain
being declared an adulterant, and 15 years of HACCP. How has food safety evolved? What has been the impact
of a HACCP-based system, and of the battle against O157:H7 — on FSIS, on establishments, and ultimately,
on consumers? What new strategies have recently been deployed, and what is the next new advancement in food
safety in the future?
USDA has hosted the Agricultural Outlook Forum since 1923 to provide farmers, ranchers, government and
agribusinesses with sound information for decision-making. Attendees are expected to include members of
farm organizations, food and fiber firms, academia, foreign governments and the news media.
Individual speakers' topics and biographies are available at www.usda.gov/oce/forum.
Plenary speeches after 6 p.m. ET on Feb. 21 will be broadcasted live on the Web, and breakout session
speeches and presentations will be posted online after 6 p.m. on Feb. 22.
For the program schedule and registration, go to www.usda.gov/oce/forum.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following countries:
- Cuba
- Israel
- Mexico
- Peru
- Republic of Korea
- Russia
Complete information can be found at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
Federal Register Notice Will Update Foreign Equivalency Process
FSIS sent a notice to the Federal Register today updating the agency's methods for determining a foreign
country's food safety system equivalence to that of the U.S. and, ultimately, its ability to export meat
and egg products to the U.S.
FSIS has periodically updated its foreign audits process since 1967, when the department inspected certified
foreign establishments to determine whether they were "equal to" U.S. establishments. In 2008,
FSIS asked the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) to review its then
three-pronged approach.
Since 2009, FSIS has performed its annual verification of the equivalence of foreign food safety regulatory
systems by reviewing any changes in the foreign country's food safety system, the country's performance in
port-of-entry (POE) inspections and on-site food regulatory system audits. FSIS continues to evaluate
foreign inspection systems on an annual basis. Based on this review, the agency decides whether it can
conclude that the country is maintaining equivalence, or whether additional FSIS action is warranted.
This performance-based approach allows the agency to direct its resources to foreign food regulatory
systems that pose greater risk to public health compared to others; make its international program more
consistent with its domestic inspection system; and improve the linkage between POE reinspections and
on-site audits.
FSIS is further refining the more systematic approach currently in use. An advance copy of the Federal
Register notice has been published and is available for review at
www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2012-0049.pdf.
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli
FSIS posts bi-weekly updates for the agency's raw ground beef E. coli sampling program. Included
are testing results of raw ground beef component samples for E. coli O157:H7 and STECs from FSIS
routine and follow-up sampling programs. Also featured is data for non-O157 STECs by each non-O157 STEC
serogroup.
To review testing results, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.Coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
Webinar Available on the Labeling Submission System
FSIS is offering webinars on the Labeling Submission and Approval System (LSAS)—a Web-based application
for accepting label submissions that launched last May.
The discussion will focus on the steps establishments can take to register and submit label applications.
LSAS allows industry to electronically submit the required information to obtain label approval. It also
makes it possible to flag application submission errors that could delay the approval process, and allows
users to track the progress of their submission.
Webinars are scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Jan. 23, Feb. 20 and March 20. To access the webinar, go to
https://connect16.uc.att.com/usda/meet/?ExEventID=85277207
and follow the on-screen instructions. For questions, contact Kristin Goodwin at (301) 504-0878 or
kristin.goodwin@fsis.usda.gov.
Get Answers at AskFSIS
AskFSIS is a Web-based technology and policy question-and-answer forum on topics such as exporting,
labeling, inspection, programs and procedures. In addition, AskFSIS offers Really Simple Syndication
(RSS) feeds that link back to the Q&As.
Visit http://askfsis.custhelp.com/ to view recently posted topics.
The following topic was recently updated:
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Last Modified:
January 18, 2013 |
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