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Consumers and Industry Benefit Under FSIS Hold and Test Implementation
FSIS announced today that beginning in 60 days, the agency will require producers to hold shipments
of non-intact raw beef and all ready-to-eat products containing meat and poultry until they pass agency
testing for foodborne adulterants.
"This new policy will reduce foodborne illnesses and the number of recalls by preventing contaminated
products from reaching consumers," said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "Many
producers hold products until test results come back. We're encouraging others in the industry to make
this a routine part of operations."
The new policy requires official establishments and importers of record to maintain control of products
tested for adulterants by FSIS and not allow the products to enter commerce until negative test results
are received. FSIS anticipates most negative test results will be determined within 2 days. The policy
applies to non-intact raw beef products or intact raw beef products intended for non-intact use and that
are tested by FSIS for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli. Also, the policy applies to any
ready-to-eat products tested by FSIS for pathogens.
FSIS developed the "hold and test" policy, which will reduce consumer exposure to unsafe meat
products, based on public comment and input received on a Federal Register notice published in April 2011.
FSIS estimates if this new requirement had been in place between 2007 through 2010, 49 of the 251 meat,
poultry and processed egg product recalls that occurred during that time could have been prevented.
The notice is posted on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2005-0044F.pdf
and is also available at www.regulations.gov.
USDA Announces New Prevention-based Initiatives to Improve Safety of Poultry Products and Protect Consumers
FSIS announced new steps this week to protect consumers by improving food safety plans which are required
for companies that produce poultry products.
Companies producing raw ground chicken and turkey and similar products will be required to reassess their
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans. The HACCP reassessment, which establishments
must conduct in the next 90 days, must account for several recent Salmonella outbreaks that were associated
with those types of products.
"The HACCP reassessment initiative will improve a company's ability to identify hazards and better
prevent foodborne illness," said Under Secretary Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "Incorporating information
obtained from recent Salmonella outbreaks will enhance food safety efforts, helping to avoid future
outbreaks and ensuring a safer food supply for consumers."
In this week's notice, FSIS also announced that it will:
- Expand the Salmonella verification sampling program to include other raw comminuted poultry products, in addition to ground product;
- Increase the sample size for laboratory analysis from 25 grams to 325 grams to provide consistency as the agency moves toward analyzing samples for Salmonella and Campylobacter; and
- Conduct sampling to determine the prevalence of Salmonella in not-ready-to-eat comminuted poultry products and use the results to develop new performance standards for those products.
To review this policy, go to the FSIS website at
www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/
federal_register_publications_&_related_documents/index.asp.
Comments can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.
Individuals may also mail their comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, FSIS, Docket Clerk,
Patriots Plaza III, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Rm. 8-163A, Mailstop 3782, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
All items submitted must include docket number FSIS-2012-0007.
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.
FSIS Updates Research Priorities to Address Emerging Food Safety Concerns
The agency has updated its research priorities to keep pace with ever-changing issues and opportunities
in food safety and public health related to the meat, poultry and egg products that FSIS regulates.
Scientific research and resources from outside the agency complement internal efforts to ensure that food
safety inspection aligns with existing and emerging risks across the farm-to-table continuum.
"Our goal is to effectively use science to understand foodborne illness and emerging trends,"
said Under Secretary Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "External research is critical to our public health mission
and ultimately serves as another tool at our disposal to protect the food supply for over 300 million
Americans."
The agency's priorities are presented as suggestions for researchers interested in pursuing food safety
objectives that are relevant to FSIS regulated products. This list provides useful guidance to researchers
who are preparing grants for submission to agencies that fund food safety research, such as USDA's National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), scientific academies and
private foundations. The list also provides suggestions for academic faculty and students who are looking
for relevant food safety research ideas. Although FSIS is not a research funding organization, the list of
agency priorities helps promote exploration into those areas.
Examples of current research that supports the agency's priorities include a 5-year, $25 million grant
from NIFA, awarded earlier this year, involving 10 universities and 14 lead researchers studying Shiga
toxin-producing E. coli. USDA's Agricultural Research Service
launched an examination into the identification of factors that enable strains of Salmonella in
ground turkey to induce foodborne illness.
For a complete list of FSIS' research priorities, go to
www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/Food_Safety_Research_Priorities.
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:
FSIS Resources
Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available
24 hours a day at www.AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov.
"Ask Karen" live chat services are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is also available to consumers
in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Recorded food
safety messages are available 24 hours a day.
Final FY13 Sampling Plan
Today, FSIS posted its FY 2013 Annual Sampling Plan that lays out the agency's intended sampling activities.
This report presents overall numbers of samples planned for most projects that the agency conducts.
This resource will provide annual results and discuss and highlight major changes.
FSIS may make changes to specific programs as circumstances warrant. Should that occur, future annual plans
will include discussion of those changes.
There are some sampling activities that will not be in this report. For example, certain sampling that is
not planned in advance, such as responding to foodborne outbreaks, would not be reflected in this resource.
FY 2012 was the first time FSIS published an Annual Sampling Plan. These two annual sampling plans follow
the agency's Sampling Report published in 2011 which presents background information about the FSIS
sampling programs. Together, these three documents provide a more transparent and comprehensive look at
how the agency is conducting sampling activities and managing its resources.
FSIS intends to make the Annual Sampling Plan available at the beginning of each fiscal year. For more
information, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Sampling_Program_Plan_FY2013.pdf.
"Cook It Safe" Four Basic Messages
To prevent food poisoning at home, do the following:
- Read and follow package cooking instructions;
- Know when to use a microwave or a conventional oven;
- Know your microwave wattage before microwaving food; and
- Always use a food thermometer to ensure a safe internal temperature.
To find out more about the campaign, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/
Cook_It_Safe/index.asp.
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Last Modified:
December 7, 2012 |
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