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NACMCF Reestablished Under New Charter
FSIS announced this week that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF)
has been re-chartered to add a consumer group representative.
Established in 1988, NACMCF formulates positions on the development of microbiological criteria, the review and
evaluation of epidemiological and risk assessment data and methodologies for assessing microbiological hazards
in foods. The committee provides recommendations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services
(HHS) on microbiological criteria by which the safety and wholesomeness of food can be assessed. That work
includes criteria for microorganisms that indicate whether foods have been adequately and appropriately processed.
"NACMCF provides valuable information and recommendations to FSIS that further promote our food safety and
foodborne illness prevention actions," said FSIS Administrator Al Almanza.
Members are appointed by the secretary of Agriculture in consult with the secretary of HHS, along with the
Departments of Commerce and Defense. There are currently 18 members; an additional 12 members will be appointed
in 2011. The balance of the membership consists of government and non-government scientists acting under special
appointment.
Additional information, including the current charter for the NACMCF, is available at
www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/
NACMCF/index.asp.
Individuals may also contact Karen Thomas-Sharp at (202) 690-6620.
Public Meeting to Review Positions of Codex Committee on Food Hygiene
The Office of Food Safety announced a public meeting to draft U.S. positions and receive comments on agenda
items for discussion at the 42nd session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) to be held in Kampala,
Uganda.
The public meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. at USDA's Whitten Building, Room 107-A, 1400
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C.
To participate through teleconference, dial (866) 692-3158 and give the passcode 5986642. A complete agenda and
documents relating to the 42nd session of CCFH will be available at www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp.
For more information contact Barbara McNiff at (202) 690-4719 or Barbara.McNiff@fsis.usda.gov.
Individuals are invited to submit written comments electronically to Jenny Scott at
Jenny.Scott@fda.hhs.gov.
For more information about the public meeting, contact Jasmine Matthews at (202) 690-1124 or Jasmine.Matthews@fsis.usda.gov.
NACMPI Transcripts Available
The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) held a public meeting on Sept. 29 and 30
to review and discuss issues related to data collection, analysis, response and transparency, and strengthening
policy and collaboration in pre-harvest food safety.
Transcripts of the meeting are posted on the FSIS website at
www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/NACMPI_Transcripts/
index.asp.
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 www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
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 www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
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
askfsis.custhelp.com/ to find the answers to your questions. Recently posted topics include:
New Podcasts
Tune in to podcasts on selecting, handling and preparing meat and poultry products to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. FSIS released these podcasts helpful to consumers.
- Food Safety at Home: Refrigeration and Food Safety (English and Spanish)
Check out these podcasts at 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 www.fsis.usda.gov/
news_&_events/SignFSIS/index.asp.
New Podcasts
Tune in to podcasts on selecting, handling and preparing meat and poultry products
to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
FSIS released these podcasts helpful to consumers.
- Food Safety at Home: Learning about Safe After School Snacks (English and Spanish)
Check out these podcasts at 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 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.
PHIS Updates: Refinements
Based on user and performance testing feedback, the PHIS development team is refining some of the areas that weren't
working as well as they could. Therefore, it is anticipated the system will be completed by Spring 2011.
FSIS is doing everything it can to make PHIS the best possible tool for protecting public health.
For more information on PHIS, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/PHIS.
FSIS Policy Updates
FSIS issues notices and directives to protect public health. The following policy updates were recently issued:
- Directive 8080.1, Recall of Meat and Poultry Products
- Directive 9030.1, Targeting for High-Risk Imported Product Shipments
All notices and directives are available at www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/index.asp.
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Last Modified:
October 29, 2010 |
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