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FSIS to Host Joint Public Meeting with FDA on Product Tracing
FSIS and FDA announced this week a joint public meeting focused on improving the system for tracing of food products and ingredients that are causing illness outbreaks or presenting other risks to the health of consumers.
Recognizing the need to increase the speed and accuracy of traceback investigations and traceforward operations, both agencies are building on existing efforts by seeking public input that would help identify elements of effective food product tracing systems, identify current gaps in food product tracing and suggest specific mechanisms for improvements.
The meeting is also intended to improve the ability of FSIS and FDA to use the information in such systems to respond to outbreaks more quickly by rapidly identifying the source of contamination during outbreaks of foodborne illness, and improving the ability of all persons in the supply chain to more quickly identify food that is (or potentially is) contaminated and remove it from the market during traceforward operations.
The meeting will be held Dec. 9 and 10 in the Jefferson Auditorium of USDA's South Building, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC, 20250.
Those interested in attending can pre-register at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Meetings_&_Events/index.asp. Online pre-registration is preferred, but individuals may also fax information (including name, title, firm name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and fax number) to 1-877-366-3322 by Dec. 2.
Preregistration is strongly encouraged for all persons, regardless of whether they also wish
to request an opportunity to make oral comments at the meeting on issues and questions
described in the Federal Register notice posted at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Frame/
FrameRedirect.asp?main=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
OPPDE/rdad/
FRPubs/Docket_no_FDA-2009-0523.htm.
Baseline Broiler Report Posted to FSIS Web Site
FSIS posted to its Web site this week a baseline report providing an overview of young chickens sampled from July 2007 through June 2008.
The program was designed to estimate the percent-positive rate as well as the
level of microbiological pathogens and indicator bacteria levels like Salmonella, Campylobacter,
generic Escherichia coli, Aerobic Plate Count, Enterobacteriaceae and total coliforms on raw chicken carcasses.
During this sampling period, 6,550 rinse samples from young chicken carcasses were collected at 182 establishments that slaughtered young chickens and produced whole carcasses under Federal inspection.
To review the report in detail, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/
Baseline_Data_Young_Chicken_2007-2008.pdf.
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 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
Check It Out on the FSIS Web Site
Visit the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
News_&_Events/index.asp and click on the FLU.GOV widget to get
helpful information on where to get the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines, read myths and
facts or even take an H1N1 flu self-evaluation.
Register for Codex Meeting on Food Hygiene
The 41st session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) will be held Nov. 16-20 in San Diego, Calif.
Items to be discussed include a draft annex for fresh leafy vegetables to the code
of hygienic practice for fresh fruits and vegetables, draft guidelines for
the control of Campylobacter and Salmonella in chicken meat, as well as a draft code of hygienic practice for control of viruses in food.
The meeting will be held at the Loews Coronado Bay Hotel, 4000 Coronado Bay Rd., Coronado, CA 92118.
For more information concerning the 41st Session of the CCFH, contact Barbara McNiff at (202) 690-4719 or Barbara.McNiff@fsis.usda.gov.
An agenda and other documents related to the 41st session of the CCFH will be accessible on the Codex Alimentarius Web site at http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
New Podcast
Tune in to podcasts on selecting, handling and preparing meat and poultry products to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
This week, FSIS released this podcast helpful to plant owners and operators.
- Industry: Federal Grant of Inspection - Part II
Check out this new podcast and renew your subscription at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/
Podcasts/index.asp.
Spanish language consumer podcasts are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/En_Espanol/
Podcasts_SP/index.asp.
Video-casts in American Sign Language are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/
SignFSIS/index.asp.
To continue automatically receiving podcasts, renew your subscription. For assistance, e-mail podcast@fsis.usda.gov.
Check out FSIS Tips on Meat Preparation
Questions about ground meat or hamburger have always been in the top five food topics of calls to the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline.
Go to FSIS' fact sheet on ground beef and food safety at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/
Ground_Beef_and_Food_Safety/index.asp.
Updates on FSIS Testing for E. coli O157:H7
Weekly updates for the FSIS raw beef E. coli sampling program are posted to the agency's Web site.
For comparative 2008 and 2009 results, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Ground_Beef_E.coli_Testing_Results/index.asp.
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 find the answers to your questions and receive automatic updates.
Recently posted topics include:
Recent Policy Updates
FSIS issues notices and directives to protect public health.
The following policy update was recently issued:
- Notice 77-09, Ensuring the Integrity of Firm Information Data in the In-Commerce System (ICS).
- Directive 5800.1, FSIS Data Coordination Committee.
All notices and directives are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/index.asp.
USDA to Host 2010 Food Safety Education Conference
USDA and NSF International are hosting the Food Safety Education Conference, Advancements in Food Safety: Trends, Tools and Technologies, March 23-26, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.
For more information, visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Atlanta2010.
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Last Modified:
November 6, 2009 |
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