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Under Secretary for Food Safety Speaks to House Agriculture Subcommittee
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on March 8, to consider FSIS' $862.9 million
budget request for fiscal year 2007.
During the hearing, Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond's opening statement focused on the
agency's accomplishments during 2005 and its future priorities. Raymond laid out an agenda, which builds upon
the past accomplishments of the agency's risk-based Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point approach by
implementing a more robust risk-based inspection system.
In his testimony, Raymond stated that "after we implemented science-based policies for E. coli O157:H7
and Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), we saw a dramatic decline in recalls." He said that
the agency would strive to do for Salmonella what it has done for E. coli O157:H7 and Lm.
Noting that the agency has seen Salmonella positives on the rise over the past few years, Raymond said
that a portion of the budget request is for a risk-based Salmonella approach, which would allow the
agency to initiate food safety assessments, more testing at high-risk plants and to continually provide data to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health officials. Several members commended
FSIS for the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 and Lm in its regulatory sampling program.
To view Raymond's written testimony, as well as written testimony
from Administrator Dr. Barbara Masters, visit FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/testimonies/.
FSIS Issues Directive on Administrative Enforcement Reporting
FSIS re-issued Directive 5100.3 on March 7, to provide clarification regarding the use of photographs for the purpose
of exhibits in an administrative enforcement report.
The directive titled, Administrative Enforcement Reporting (AER) System, explains when and how FSIS Form 5400-9,
Administrative Enforcement Report, is used and sets out which exhibits enforcement investigative and analysis
officers should compile to support the different actions covered by the AER.
This directive is available on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/
FSISDirectives/5100.3Rev1.pdf (PDF Only).
FSIS Issues Notice on Use of Non-Amenable Animal Tissue in Inspected Products
FSIS issued Notice 15-06 on March 7, to provide inspection program personnel with clarification regarding the use
of non-amenable animal tissue in official inspected products.
Non-amenable animal tissue comes from animals not subject to inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the
Poultry Products Inspection Act such as: exotic animals or hybrid animals showing predominant characteristics of
non-amendable animals; rabbits; migratory water fowl or game birds; and other animals not under the scope of FSIS
voluntary inspection.
Notice 15-06 addresses questions that FSIS has received regarding the use of non-amenable animal tissue and
cancels any previous instructions regarding this subject.
This notice is available on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Notice_15-06/index.asp.
FSIS Issues Notice on Availability of List of Retail Consignees During Meat or Poultry Product Recalls
FSIS published a Federal Register notice on March 7 titled, Availability of List of Retail Consignees
During Meat or Poultry Product Recalls.
This notice proposes to amend the Federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations so that the agency can
provide to the public a list of the retail consignees of meat and poultry products that have been voluntarily recalled
by a federally inspected meat or poultry products establishment, if product has been distributed to the retail level.
FSIS will routinely post these retail consignee lists on its Web site as they are developed by the agency during
its recall verification activities.
The agency is accepting comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov
or by electronic mail at FSIS.RegulationsComments@usda.gov.
This notice is available on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/
04-006P.htm.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following:
Complete information can be found at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
Hot Link
The meat, poultry and egg product inspection directory lists establishments that produce meat, poultry and eggs
FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Meat_Poultry_Egg_Inspection_Directory/index.asp.
FSIS Issues Notice on Delay of Implementation of Instructions for Certifying Beef Products under Export Verification (EV) Programs
FSIS issued Notice 16-06 on March 9, titled, Delay of Implementation of Instructions for Certifying Beef Products under
Export Verification (EV) Programs. The notice announces a temporary delay in implementing some of the instructions
found in FSIS Notice 9-06, Certifying Beef Products Under Export Verification (EV) Programs.
From now until April 1, inspection program personnel should not implement the instructions found in paragraphs V. E.
through H. of Notice 9-06. Also, inspection program personnel certifying beef products for export that is produced
under EV programs (see paragraph III. A. of Notice 9-06) should rely on the list of eligible plants and products,
as provided in paragraph IV. B. of Notice 9-06. Inspection program personnel should verify the accuracy of the
application by using the information in the public folder, making sure that the products listed on the application are
eligible for export under the
EV program.
FSIS will issue a notice by April 1, to provide instructions related to verifying EV programs. The new notice will
cancel Notice 9-06 and 16-06.
The notice is available on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Notice_16-06/index.asp.
Contact the Technical Service Center with questions at (800) 233-3935.
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to Hold Public Meeting
FSIS issued a news release on March 9, to announce that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria
for Foods (NACMCF) will hold a public meeting of the full committee to discuss cooking parameters for seafood,
consumer guidelines for safe cooking of poultry products and the food safety importance and public health significance
of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis.
The public meeting will be held on March 24, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Westin Arlington Gateway, 801 N. Glebe Road,
Arlington, Va. 22203.
For further information about the public meeting, contact Karen Thomas, advisory committee specialist, at (202) 690-6620
or by e-mail at karen.thomas@usda.gov.
The news release is available on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_030906_01/.
Export Tip
Prior to signing FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness, verify that the information on
the form has been documented accurately.
Follow these steps to ensure accuracy:
- Make sure the consignee's name and address is complete and accurate.
- Make sure the plant numbers are correctly reflected throughout the form.
- Make sure the information in the "Remarks Section" or on the letterhead certificate correspond to the country requirements found on FSIS' Web site.
- If remarks have been entered in the "Remarks Section," make sure a diagonal line has been drawn in the remaining space to prevent additional statements from being included at a later time.
- Finally, make sure the blocks that correspond to the product being exported have been checked.
Errors in these areas can create a tremendous amount of additional staff work when product is detained by an importing
country because of incorrect information. This can be prevented by carefully checking Form 9060-5 prior to endorsing it.
Visit FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp to
learn more on export requirements to other countries.
To subscribe to the export library, go to
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
Regulations_&_Policies/Export_Requirements_EV_Countries/
index.asp.
Food Safety Tip for College Students
Q. Several slices of pizza have been left out overnight. Is the pizza still safe to eat?
A. No. Perishable food should never be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours. This is true even
if there are no meat products on the pizza. Foodborne bacteria that might be present on these foods grow fastest at
temperatures between 40 and 140 °F and can double in number every 20 minutes.
Other take-out or delivered foods such as chicken, hamburgers, cut fruit, salads and party platters must also be kept
at a safe temperature. The rule is to "Keep HOT Food HOT and COLD Food COLD!" Keep hot foods at 140 °F or
above. Cold foods must be kept at 40 °F or below (in the refrigerator or freezer). Bacteria grow rapidly between
40 and 140 °F. Discard all perishable food left at room temperature longer than two hours; one hour in air
temperatures above 90 °F. Use safely refrigerated food in three to four days and frozen leftovers within one
to two months.
For additional food safety information about meat, poultry or egg products, call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry
Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854); for the hearing impaired (TTY) 1-800-256-7072.
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Last Modified:
March 10, 2006 |
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