Recommendations Made by the National
Advisory on Meat and Poultry Inspection
|
Recommendations |
Action Taken |
Contact Person |
| FSIS
initiate rulemaking to mandate that all meat and poultry products are
distributed under conditions that prevent the growth of pathogens,
including refrigeration. Research regulation for temperature during
transportation in the short term. |
The Agency
plans to issue a proposed rule regarding handling and transportation
by the end of calendar year 2000. |
Dan
Engeljohn |
| Establish a
strong research database and tracking system. |
A proposal
for establishing a Food Safety Research Information Office with food
safety components has been submitted and is waiting for approval. |
Dr. Woteki
Virginia Hartmuller, NAL |
| Agency should
consider ISO standards in addition to HACCP. |
FSIS will
look at incorporating ISO standards as performance standards in the
Annual Performance Plan (APP). |
Charles
Danner |
| Committee
wants to provide input into the formulation of the FSIS Strategic
plan. |
The
Committee was given opportunity to comment on the Agency’s Strategic
Plan at the May 1999 meeting. The Committee will continue to have
input on this issue at future meetings. |
Charles
Danner |
| No action be
taken to end continuous, carcass by carcass inspection until the new
inspection system is in place and has been demonstrated to produce
food that is cleaner, safer and less likely to cause foodborne
illness. |
|
Tom Billy |
| The Foreign
Inspection Program should be funded adequately to ensure all
scheduled federal, state, and international audits are achieved
annually and continue to be performed by the same organization within
FSIS. |
|
Mark Manis |
| Foreign
countries need to articulate hazards unique to the country and
establishments identify these hazards in their HACCP plans. |
Every
establishment — whether foreign or domestic—has the same requirement
to identify its own (unique or otherwise) hazards and control for
them in a HACCP plan. |
Mark Manis |
| FSIS and the
Centers for Disease Control publish the origin of meat (domestic and
imported) identified in their foodborne illness outbreak
investigations so that trends can be identified. |
FSIS
publicizes identifying information, such as brand names, label names,
and producing plant names, about products, either domestic or
imported, that are linked to foodborne illness or are being recalled
by industry. |
Charles
Gioglio |
| FSIS, in
cooperation with industry trade groups, should develop and
disseminate information packages that provide all producers, large
and small, the same information. |
|
Gary Stefan |
| FSIS not
seek authority to impose user fees, either through a legislative
initiative or in the presentation of its FY 2000 and future budgets
to the OMB. |
FY 2000
appropriation does not include user fees. FSIS continues to inform
the Department's budget office and OMB that NACMPI is opposed to such
fees. |
Ray Bolyard |
| Field level
vacancies should be filled and supported by adequate funds for
training, travel and laboratory support. |
Briefing on
this topic is being prepared for the November 1999 meeting |
Mark Mina |
| The
President’s Food Safety Council to require agencies with food safety
missions, including FSIS, to prepare their budgets to reflect the
essential needs of their inspection programs (zero based budget) and
present them to OMB and the Congress. |
Letter
carrying this recommendation was sent to the Food Safety Council. |
Dr. Woteki |
| The
Partnership for Food Safety Education review the Fight Bac
Slogan to focus it more toward keeping consumers safe from bacteria
rather than keeping food safe from bacteria. |
A letter
carrying this recommendation was sent to the Partnership. |
Tom Billy |
| USDA should
adequately fund research to evaluate meat and poultry food safety
education in modifying consumer behavior. |
|
Sandy
Facinoli |
| FSIS should
assess the health risks of exemptions, seek legal authority for
performance standards and assign inspection resources where risk is
highest. |
Paper being
prepared for presentation at the November 1999 meeting |
Phil Derfler |
| Concept
paper for the mandatory inspection of any commercially slaughtered
and or/processed birds or mammals for human consumption unless
exempted. Continue custom exemptions for mammals and create an
equivalent exemption for birds. All inspection standards should be
risk-based and consistent with a risk-based seamless federal /state
inspection system. Amendments to the Meat and Poultry Acts and Agency
regulations should be changed accordingly. Initiate discussions with
FDA on approving nitrites in all amenable and non-amenable species. |
Paper being
prepared for presentation at the November 1999 meeting |
Phil Derfler |
| Request the
NACMCF to evaluate the options for defining a Campylobacter
performance standard (e.g. quantitative vs. qualitative) and
alternatives to a Campylobacter performance standard. |
NACMCF’s
responded that more data was needed. FSIS continues to collect data
on this issue and issued a status report to the Committee in
September 1999. |
Kaye
Wachsmuth |
