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FSIS and FDA Hold Public Meeting on Interagency Retail Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) Risk Assessment
FSIS and the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of
Health and Human Services held a public meeting to introduce their joint risk assessment of Lm contamination in
ready-to-eat food that are sliced, prepared and packaged in retail facilities.
The meeting was designed to encourage stakeholder participation early in the developing stages of the assessment — part
of an ongoing process to garner data, information and input from diverse expertise and resources.
Representatives of regulatory agencies, food safety associations and consumer and industry groups discussed the level,
prevalence and subtypes of Lm in the retail environment. Also discussed was other scientific information and data
needed to develop a risk assessment to better understand how cross-contamination at retail occurs and its impact to public health.
Of note were discussions around cross-contamination, mitigation and prevention strategies, as well as behaviors of both
food handlers and consumers.
In addition to feedback received at the public meeting, FSIS is requesting a wide variety of data and information for the risk
assessment, including:
- characteristics of ready-to-eat food markets in the United States, such as the volume of products sliced/prepared by manufacturers and/or retail facilities;
- characteristics of deli departments in grocery stores;
- Lm levels and/or frequencies in products arriving at and sold by retail facilities;
- factors that influence the growth of Lm in cheeses, deli meats and deli-type salads, such as chemical characteristics, temperatures exposed to at retail, proportions of products treated with growth inhibitors, etc.;
- environmental contamination or the prevalence and level of Lm at retails;
- factors that influence environmental contamination and cross-contamination, including data and information on the potential transfer of food from retail and food handlers' activities; and
- the identity and effectiveness of control measures and interventions at retail for Lm.
Other data related to the occurrence, growth and control of Lm are also requested. Constituents can submit this type of information
and public comments to either of the following dockets on www.regulations.gov:
FDA-2008-N0658 or FSIS-2009-0012. The dockets are open until September 29. Comments may also be sent to the Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, FSIS, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 2534, South Building, Washington, D.C. 20250.
For more information on the public meeting, including a full agenda, presentations for the risk assessment, visit the FSIS Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Past_Events/index.asp. Transcripts for this meeting
will be posted to the Agency's Web site as they become available. Look to future issues of FSIS' Constituent Update for more details.
FSIS Issues Directive
FSIS issues notices and directives to enhance the Agency's efforts in protecting public health. The following policy update was recently issued:
All notices and directives are available on FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/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 searchable by visitors and designed to help answer policy-related questions on
topics such as exporting, labeling, inspection, programs and procedures.
Visit http://askfsis.custhelp.com to find
the answers to your questions.
Recently Posted Questions and Answers
Subject - Notice 05-09 Considering E. coli O157:H7 During the Hazard Analysis
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli
Weekly updates for the Agency's raw beef E. coli sampling program are posted to the FSIS Web site.
For comparative 2008 and 2009 results, go to
www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.Coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
FSIS Posts New Podcasts
Tune in and subscribe to podcasts that offer information on the selection, handling and preparation of meat
and poultry products to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
This week, FSIS released podcasts helpful to both consumers and plant owners and operators.
- Food Safety at Home: Food Safety When Cooking Out (English and Spanish)
- Food Defense: Warehouse/Distribution Centers, Part 2 of 5
Check out these new podcasts on FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/Podcasts/index.asp.
Spanish language consumer podcasts are available at www.fsis.usda.gov/En_Espanol/Podcasts_SP/
index.asp.
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Last Modified:
June 26, 2009 |
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