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August 12, 2005
Dr. Curt Mann is Named Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced he has appointed Dr. Curt J. Mann to serve as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety.

"Curt Mann brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and dedication to food security, food safety and bio-defense that will assist our efforts to protect the public health from contamination of meat, poultry and egg products," said Johanns. "We are glad to welcome him back to USDA to serve in this important role and continue our commitment to safeguarding the public health."

Dr. Mann will begin his new duties at USDA on August 22nd. Previously he served with the Biological and Chemical Defense Policy Directorate of the White House Homeland Security Council as the Director of Food, Agriculture, and Water Security.

Prior to his White House service, Mann was a special assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture where he focused on coordinating the Department's role in Homeland Security following the events of September 11th. Dr. Mann has also practiced as a clinical veterinarian, served as a professional staff member to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture and as executive director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges.

"Dr. Mann's experience and expertise will nicely complement our strong food safety leadership team," said Dr. Richard Raymond, Under Secretary for Food Safety.

Dr. Mann has practiced as a large and small animal clinical veterinarian. He has one daughter and lives in McLean, Virginia.

Codex Task Force on Foods Derived From Biotechnology Public Meeting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration are holding a public meeting to receive comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the Fifth Session of the Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which will be held in Chiba, Japan, September 19-23, 2005.

The public meeting for comments will be held on August 30 from 1 to 4 p.m., in Room 107A, Jamie Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC.

Agenda items for the Fifth Session of the Foods Derived from Biotechnology Task Force include:
  • Review of the Work by International Organizations on the Evaluation of the Safety and Nutritional Aspects of Foods Derived from Biotechnology; and
  • Consideration of the Elaboration of Standards, Guidelines or other Texts for Foods Derived from Biotechnology.

For further details concerning the Fifth Session, contact U.S. Delegate Bernice Slutsky at (202) 720-3631 or by fax at (202) 720-6314. For more information about the public meeting, contact Ellen Matten, U.S. Codex Office, FSIS at (202) 205-7760 or by fax at (202) 720-3157.

FSIS Directive: Consumer Complaint Monitoring System
FSIS Directive 5610.1 (PDF Only) describes the purpose and activities of the Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS). The CCMS is an electronic database used by FSIS to record, triage, analyze and track all consumer complaints reported to the Agency. The FSIS Human Health Sciences Division of the Office of Public Health Science is responsible for the overall management of the CCMS program. To read this directive in its entirety visit: www.fsis.usda.gov/
regulations/regulations_directives_&_notices/


Incident Investigation Team Reviews
FSIS Directive 6500.2 (PDF Only) defines Incident Investigation Teams (IITs), explains when and how the teams are formed, and provides the protocols that the teams will use to conduct reviews. IITs are used by the Emergency Management Committee periodically to investigate and provide information on emergency incidents such as a grave, or potentially serious threat to public health or deliberate contamination of an FSIS-regulated product. To read this directive in its entirety visit: www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/FSIS_Notices_Index/

Availability of Specialized Methodologies for Incident Investigation Teams
FSIS Notice 50-05 announces the availability of the specialized methodology, Incident Investigation Team Methodology for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 in Beef Slaughter Establishments. This methodology will be used by incident investigation teams as instructed in FSIS Directive 6500.2, Incident Investigation Team Reviews. The specialized methodology is available at: www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/FSIS_Notices_Index/

Religious Exemption for the Slaughter and Processing of Poultry
FSIS Directive 6030.1 (PDF Only) provides instructions to inspection program personnel for verifying that establishments are properly performing under a religious exemption for the slaughter and handling of poultry. This directive announces the use of the new poultry exemption form, FSIS Form 6030-1, which is a combination of the four previously used forms. To read this directive in its entirety visit: www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations/6000_Series-Slaughter_Inspection/

Library of Export Requirement Updated
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for Canada and Japan. Complete information can be found at: www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations/Export_Information/

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