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Jerold Mande Appointed Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed Jerold R. Mande, M.P.H., as Deputy Under Secretary
for Food Safety on July 9.
In USDA's Office of Food Safety, Mande (pronounced "mand") now has responsibility for
FSIS as the agency in charge of ensuring that the nation's food supply of meat, poultry and
processed egg products are safe and wholesome.
"Jerold Mande brings years of experience in health, nutrition, epidemiology, food safety and
public policy in both government and academia that will greatly serve USDA and the public as we
continue to work to protect public health," said Vilsack.
Mande began his career in the U.S. Congress where he was first hired to work on food safety legislation.
He has served in several posts in the Administrative Branch, including as a health policy adviser on the
White House staff leading key food safety, tobacco control and cancer initiatives, including the expansion of
FoodNet and PulseNet.
As Senior Advisor and Executive Assistant to the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration,
he led the project to design the Nutrition Facts food label. As a result of his leadership, he was given the
Presidential Award for Design Excellence. He also worked at the Department of Labor as Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Occupational Health.
He most recently served as Associate Director for Public Policy at the Yale Cancer Center. There, he developed
a national model to increase support for cancer prevention and control. He also initiated and helped manage
the cancer center disparities program, to improve cancer control and care in undeserved populations. He
lectured in public health and helped train groups of physicians for public policy careers.
Mande holds a Masters Degree in Public Health (nutrition and epidemiology) and a Bachelor of Science Degree
(nutritional sciences) from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. He also completed a program for senior
managers in government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Ron Hicks will continue with the Office Food Safety as acting Under Secretary.
Obama Administration Announces Findings of Food Safety Working Group
Earlier this week, Vice President Joe Biden was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to announce the key findings of the Food Safety Working Group.
Created by President Barack Obama in March to advise the Administration on how to upgrade the food safety system for the
21st century, the Working Group is recommending a new, public health-focused approach to food safety based on three
core principles: prioritizing prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response and recovery.
"There isn't a single American that isn't impacted by our efforts to protect the food supply," said Secretary
Vilsack. "We owe it to the American people to deliver on President Obama's bold promise to greatly enhance our
food safety system, moving our approach into the 21st century, employing the best surveillance techniques available,
and ensuring that we are doing all we can to prevent illness before it occurs."
The Working Group announced specific steps designed to advance its core principles. Review these findings and recommendations
of the Food Safety Working Group at www.foodsafetyworkinggroup.gov.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following countries:
- Russia
- United Arab Emirates
Complete information can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
NACMCF Releases Report on Setting Food Safety Studies
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF)
issued a final report providing guidelines for conducting challenge studies on pathogen inhibition as well as
inactivation studies in a variety of foods.
NACMCF, a federal advisory committee and expert panel on food safety, provides scientific advice to FSIS, the
Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service and the
Department of Defense's Veterinary Service Activity.
The report, Parameters for Determining Inoculated Pack/Challenge Study Protocols, was requested by the FDA and
other sponsoring agencies of NACMCF. The primary objective is to provide guidelines for challenge studies necessary to
determine whether a variance to time/temperature control for safety may be granted under the FDA Food Code.
Secondarily, the guidelines presented in this report may be useful to laboratories conducting pathogen inhibition and
pathogen inactivation studies for a variety of foods for evaluation of safety prior to introduction into commerce. It
is intended for use by food processors, food service operators, retailers, testing laboratories, process authorities, and
food safety regulators/public health officials from Federal, state and local organizations.
The report also provides a template containing a series of questions to facilitate the design of an appropriate challenge study.
The template was validated by using five food products as examples.
To view the report, visit www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/NACMCF_Inoculated_Pack_2009F.pdf (PDF Only).
FSIS Issues Policy Updates
FSIS issues directives and notices to enhance the Agency's efforts in protecting public health.
The following directives and notices were issued this week:
- Directive 7120.1 - Amendment 19, Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat and Poultry Products.
- Notice 40-08, Nationwide Young Turkey Microbiological Baseline Data Collection Program - Update
- Notice 40-09, FSIS CNS Type Tissue Sample Verification Instructions for Raw Beef Produced Using Advanced Meat Recovery AMR Systems.
All directives and notices are available on the FSIS Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/
regulations_directives_&_notices/index.asp.
FSIS Docket Room and Some Policy Offices Relocate to Beltsville, Maryland
FSIS is relocating four divisions of the Office of Policy and Program Development from the South Building in Washington, D.C., to
Beltsville, Maryland, beginning July 10.
These units include: Labeling and Program Delivery Division (LPDD); Policy Operations Division (POD); Risk and Innovation
Management Division (RIMD); Policy Analysis Division (PAD); and the FSIS Docket Room. As these offices prepare to relocate,
expect some delay in services. (See key dates listed below.)
The FSIS Docket Room and Labeling Distribution Unit is closed or has minimal staff on Friday, July 10, while records, equipment and
services are re-established. LPDD strongly advised label consultants and couriers to hold label submittals from July 8 to July 10,
to reduce the possibility of misplaced or lost label submissions.
Effective Monday, July 13, all correspondence, including comments and label applications, should be sent to these new addresses:
FSIS Docket Room via U.S. Postal Service (including priority Mail overnight mail) or via shipping couriers (e.g., Federal Express) should be sent to:
FSIS Docket Room
USDA, FSIS, OPPD
Docket Clearance Unit
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Room 2-2127
Beltsville, MD 20705-5476
Label applications via U.S. Postal Service (including priority Mail and overnight mail) should be mailed to:
USDA, FSIS, OPPD, LPDD
Labeling Distribution Unit
5601 Sunnyside Ave., Stop 5476
Beltsville, MD 20705-5476
Label applications sent via UPS, FedEx should be shipped to:
USDA, FSIS, OPPD, LPDD
Labeling Distribution Unit
5601 Sunnyside Ave., 2-2279
Beltsville, MD 20705-5476
Individuals may also fax label applications to LPDD at (301) 504-0873 or (301) 504-0875 beginning July 13.
Key Dates
- July 10 LPDD, POD and RIMD begin relocation - offices moved.
- July 13 LPDD, POD and RIMD reopen at new location.
- July 24 PAD begin relocation - offices moved.
- July 27 PAD reopens at new location.
USDA to Host 2010 Food Safety Education Conference
To help educate stakeholders, USDA and NSF International are hosting the 2010 Food Safety Education Conference,
Advancements in Food Safety: Trends, Tools and Technologies, from March 23 to 26 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia.
Food safety educators and other professionals worldwide will have the opportunity to discover the latest
advancements in food safety education, including trends, tools and technologies.
For more information, visit www.fsis.usda.gov/Atlanta2010.
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli O157:H7
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 to Hold Meat and Poultry Inspection Seminars for International Government Officials
The Agency will host the second of three Meat and Poultry Inspection Seminars for International Officials in Puerto Rico from August 10 to 21.
The purpose of the seminars is to familiarize international government officials with U.S. inspection regulations and procedures
used by USDA to assure that the nation's meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome and properly labeled.
Seminars will cover issues from farm to table, including the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point
(HACCP) rule, animal production, import and export procedures and the roles of the Food and Drug Administration and state
and local inspection agencies.
The session, to be held at the River Inn Training Facility in Washington, D.C., will focus on verification and enforcement of
HACCP and pathogen reduction regulations.
Fluency in English is a prerequisite for this seminar. Participation is limited to 35 individuals.
For more information, visit FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
2009_Meat_&_Poultry_Inspection_Seminars/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: Foodborne Illness Rises in Warmer Months (English and Spanish)
- Food Defense: Illegally Imported and Smuggled Food Products - Part 4 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.
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:
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Last Modified:
July 13, 2009 |
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