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USDA to Host Public Meeting on Draft HACCP Validation Guidance
FSIS announced it will hold a series of public meetings to discuss and receive public comment on the agency's draft proposed
guidance concerning Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Validation.
FSIS made a preliminary draft of the validation guidance available in March to receive public input earlier in the guidance
development process, as requested by a number of stakeholders. The guidance does not create any new requirements on establishments,
but rather clarifies existing requirements and provides direction on how producers, especially small producers, can meet them.
The series will kick off with the first public meeting on June 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the USDA South Building, Jefferson
Auditorium, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
To register, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/. Please indicate any
interest in providing public comment on the registration form. For additional information regarding the registration process,
contact Sheila Johnson at (202) 690-6498 or
Sheila.Johnson@fsis.usda.gov.
Comments on the preliminary draft are due by June 19. FSIS will review the public comments and announce an updated draft document in
the Federal Register in July for a second round of comments. During the second comment period, FSIS will hold two additional
public meetings. Each meeting will include presentations, a question and answer period, as well as a public comment period.
The preliminary draft guidance and more information on validation are available on the FSIS website at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/HACCP_Validation/index.asp.
Interested parties should submit comments to the Docket Clerk, USDA, FSIS, George Washington Carver Center, Room 2-2127, 5601
Sunnyside Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705.
Persons seeking help in accessing the guidance, or information on submitting comments, may contact the Small Plant Help Desk at
1-877-374-7435 or infosource@fsis.usda.gov.
FSIS Remembers Those Killed in the Line of Duty
On June 21, 2000, FSIS Compliance Officers Jean Hillery and Tom Quadros and California Department of Food and Agriculture Senior
Special Investigator Bill Shaline were killed in the line of duty in San Leandro, Calif. Earl Willis, a California Department of Food and
Agriculture inspector, who was also in the plant that day and witnessed the murders, was able to escape with his life. He recently
passed away.
In remembrance of their service, FSIS has planned a number of special events in Beltsville, Md., Washington, D.C., and San Leandro, Calif.,
to honor these employees.
The first event was held at the annual FSIS Unity Day in Beltsville, Md., on May 26. Many of the approximately 600 FSIS employees
attending the event visited the remembrance table. The table highlighted a PowerPoint presentation of the three memorial sites and
photographs of the victims. Purple ribbons and remembrance cards were handed out to attendees.
USDA to Host Red Meat Mobile Slaughter Unit Information Session
The agency will host a red meat mobile slaughter unit information session on June 24. The goal of this information session is to
educate farmers, ranchers and processors on how to set up mobile slaughter units, receive the federal grant of inspection and meet
USDA food safety requirements.
The session will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center in Boonsboro, Md.
Officials will highlight how to apply for the federal grant of inspection and discuss inspection issues unique to mobile slaughter units.
The session will also include presentations by other USDA agencies and the University of Maryland. To view the meeting agenda, go to
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/index.asp.
To speak to a staff specialist at the Small Plant Help Desk, contact 1-877-374-7435 or infosource@fsis.usda.gov.
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.
USDA Announces New Performance Standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new performance standards to reduce Salmonella and
Campylobacter in young chickens (broilers) and turkeys, fulfilling another key recommendation of the
President's Food Safety Working Group. To view the press release, go to http://www.usda.gov/2010/05/0246.xml.
The agency has also developed the third edition of a compliance guide for poultry slaughter that includes additional pre-harvest
recommendations for controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter. In addition, there is a compliance guide on known
practices for pre-harvest management to reduce E. coli O157:H7 contamination in cattle through reduced fecal shedding
on the farm and during live animal holding before slaughter.
Both documents are priorities for the President's Food Safety Working Group and
will be posted on FSIS' website at www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/
Compliance_Assistance.
FSIS is seeking comment on the performance standards and two compliance guides announced in the Federal Register. Interested parties
should submit their comments by July 13 through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
www.regulations.gov.
Individuals may also mail comments to the Docket Clerk,
USDA, FSIS, George Washington Carver Center, Room 2-2127, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705. All submissions received must
reference docket number FSIS-2009-0034.
Comment on Compliance Guide for Mobile Slaughter Units
As part of USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative,
the agency made available the compliance guide for mobile slaughter units. This document presents recommendations and is not a
regulatory requirement. Go to www.fsis.usda.gov/Significant_Guidance/index.asp
to review the guidance in detail.
The guide includes the procedures necessary to receive a federal grant of inspection, unique concerns that may arise with mobile slaughter
units, and links to regulatory requirements and resources.
FSIS is seeking comments for this compliance guide. Comments will be accepted through July 26 and can be submitted to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.
Individuals may also mail comments to Docket Clerk, USDA, FSIS, George Washington Carver Center, Room 2-2127, 5601 Sunnyside Ave.,
Beltsville, MD 20705. For more information about mobile slaughter units, contact Mark Cutrufelli at (770) 304-8919 or
Mark.Cutrufelli@fsis.usda.gov.
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli
Weekly updates for the agency's raw beef E. coli sampling program are posted to the FSIS website.
For comparative previous and current year results, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.Coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
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Last Modified:
June 11, 2010 |
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