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Farm-to-Table Food Safety
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FSIS's goal of reducing foodborne illness has required it to adopt a farm-to-table strategy for risk management because hazards contributing to consumers' risks occur throughout the farm-to-table continuum. However, FSIS has limited resources to address all the risks, especially those occurring outside FSIS-inspected slaughter and processing establishments. Much of what FSIS does to reduce risks to consumers in these areas must be done in collaboration with others.
Therefore, FSIS cooperates with numerous government agencies, organizations and institutions to help it manage consumers' risk associated with meat, poultry and egg products. In addition, FSIS endorses and is contributing where it can to the creation of a "seamless" national food safety system within which all agencies - Federal, State and local - can work together more effectively on making food safer for consumers and ensuring the security of the nations' food supply.
The following are current farm-to-table food safety activities sponsored by FSIS. This list covers cooperative activities not listed elsewhere on FSIS' web site. Other activities can be found at the following sites: FSIS cooperative activities for managing risks on the farm are described in FSIS' Animal and Egg Production Food Safety Staff's home page. Cooperative activities in support of State meat and poultry inspection programs, which complement FSIS' risk management efforts during commercial slaughter and processing, are found at this site under Cooperative State MPI Programs. Activities in support of State and local food safety agencies' risk management efforts at retail are also at this site, under FSIS Retail Partnerships. Cooperative and other activities directed at consumer food safety are described on FSIS' Food Safety Education and Consumer Information home page.
Building a National Food Safety Laboratory System
Prevention and amelioration of foodborne illnesses requires effective and timely cooperation among public health, agriculture and other agencies at Federal, State and local government levels. This would be better accomplished in an environment where agencies could rely on each others’ analytic data, which generally does not occur at present. FSIS is collaborating with other Federal, State and local agencies on developing a national food safety laboratory system that would support the "real time" sharing among government food laboratories of analytic data of public health and regulatory significance.Since 1998, we have supported an annual national meeting of government food laboratory directors in cooperation with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) to work on this problem. From this meeting has evolved a national food safety laboratory system project on which FSIS is working in cooperation with FDA and other cooperating agencies. This project will also improve on our capabilities to protect consumers and food producers from terrorists targeting the food supply.
The project is divided into three parts: laboratory accreditation, analytic methodologies, and data sharing.
Laboratory accreditation establishes that participating laboratories are all operating to the same high standards. FSIS is supporting a pilot program involving federal food laboratories at FDA, and the US Army; state food laboratories in Tennessee, Florida, New Hampshire, Massachusetts; and Municipal food laboratories in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Cincinnati, Ohio. The purpose of the pilot is for the participating laboratories to become accredited under comprehensive, internationally recognized ISO 17025 standards, and in the process develop guidance materials for other laboratories wishing to do the same. To date, FSIS and the Army have been accredited, and several other laboratories are close to becoming accredited. Guidance materials have been developed and are available in CD format from FSIS upon request..
Analytic methodologies used for testing foods in support of regulatory and public health policies must be readily understood, recognized as valid and reproducible, and available for use by all agencies, if analytic data from any test are to be meaningful and accepted by others. In September, 2001, FSIS entered into a cooperative agreement with AOAC International to develop and maintain a system to provide standard analytical methods to food safety laboratories. The system will permit all Federal, State and local laboratories, and other organizations doing food safety work, to have electronic access to the latest methods of analysis for substances and microorganisms of food safety significance, each method classified as to kind of validation to ensure the use of the most appropriate one. The agreement projects completion of the system in 2004. Project status reports are done quarterly and are available electronically from FSLGRS upon request.
Data sharing is the goal of the system. The rapid sharing of reliable data will eliminate duplications of effort and ensure the quickest possible response to outbreaks and other threats to public health linked to our food supply. FSIS is coordinating and supporting its collaboration with FDA on the development of the Electronic Laboratory Exchange Network (eLEXNET) system. The system provides a core set of data elements and system for secure electronic data exchange, information sharing, and collaboration. It was tested by the laboratories participating in the accreditation pilot project, sharing data on E. coli O157:H7. The system has now been expanded to include additional microbiological analytes, and additional laboratories throughout the country
Coordination in Responding to Outbreaks of Foodborne Illness
"Multistate Foodborne Outbreak Investigations: Guidelines for Improving Coordination and Communication" (Draft) has been developed in conjunction with FDA, CDC, and State and local agency representatives to permit better coordination among jurisdictions affected by an outbreak.
Guidance on Retail Food Safety Requirements
The agency is partnering with FDA and CDC on the development of each biannual issue of the Food Code, a model ordinance and guidance document that provides the best available advice to States and others on regulating food safety in retail stores and food service facilities. FSIS also coordinates USDA participation in the public-private Conference for Food Protection , which meets in alternate years, to develop recommended amendments to the Food Code.
Training on Meat and Poultry Processing at Retail
FSIS has a cooperative agreement with AFDO to present a course on meat and poultry processing at retail. Product processed at retail is exempt from inspection under the Federal inspection statutes. Normally, retail facilities are inspected by state and local inspectors only.
AFDO and the AFDO Regional Affiliates are hosting the two-day courses at various sites around the country. The course, developed and tested by AFDO, University of Florida, and FSIS under a previous agreement, will be directed primarily at training trainers of State and local food safety officials who regulate and inspect retail establishments. The courses will also be open to industry and other participants. The course emphasized the importance of SSOP's and focuses on a HACCP approach to controlling hazards associated with activities most commonly conducted at retail-grinding, formulation and slicing, sausage making, fermented and semi-dry sausage making, making jerky and other dried meats, and curing and smoking. FY 2002 courses have been conducted in New York, Florida, and Illinois. FY 2003 courses are planned for New England, the West, and the Southwest. See the AFDO's website for details.
Guidance on Regulating Inspection-Exempt Slaughter Facilities
FSIS has a cooperative agreement with AFDO to develop guidance for states on the regulation and inspection of slaughter facilities that are exempt from mandatory inspection under the federal statutes. These include primarily custom slaughter establishments under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and small-scale poultry processors under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). Although FSIS has regulations governing such establishments, and requires periodic inspections of the facilities for sanitation and other purposes, in most cases FSIS uses state inspectors, operating under a cooperative agreement with FSIS, to conduct the required inspection.
State agencies have expressed a need for guidance in this area. New approaches to the slaughter and processing of live animals for human food use continue to evolve, particularly in ethnic markets. This has led in recent years to increased difficulty in deciding when exemptions from inspection should apply, and if they do apply, how state agencies can, in concert with FSIS, best regulate these establishments to protect their consumers from unsafe, unwholesome or mislabeled products.
An FSIS-AFDO workgroup met early in 2002 to draft appropriate guidance materials, with publication planned for late in the year.
Directory of State and Local Food Safety Officials
FSIS assists FDA's Division of Federal State Relations in maintaining the Directory of State and Local Officials for use by both agencies.
