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FSIS to Hold Outreach Sessions for Small and Very Small Plant in Montana
FSIS will hold outreach sessions for small and very small plant owners and operators on
Saturday, July 29, in Missoula, MT; Sunday, July 20, in Bozeman, MT; and on Monday, July 31 in Billings, MT.
The sessions will cover a regulatory walk-through of the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point, and Rules of Practice regulations.
The outreach sessions will be held at the following locations:
Saturday, Jul 29
10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn Parkside
200 S. Pattee St.
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 721-8550
Sunday, Jul 30, 2006
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn
5 Baxter Lane
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 587-4561
Monday, Jul 31, 2006
7:00-10:00 p.m.
Sheraton
27 N. 27th Street
Billings, MT 59101
(406) 252-7400
To register by phone, call 1-800-336-3747. Online registration forms
are provided. For more information about the regulatory walk through sessions on the small and very small plant outreach,
visit FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/
Science/Small_Very_Small_Plant_Outreach/index.asp
Export Requirement Updates
There were no changes in the export requirements this week. To learn more about exporting products to other countries,
visit FSIS' Web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/
Regulations_&_Policies/Export_Information/index.asp.
FSIS to Hold Public Meeting to Discuss the Updated Risk Assessment for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
FSIS will hold a technical meeting on July 25, to present and receive comments on an updated risk assessment for bovine
spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
FSIS is also announcing the availability of an updated risk assessment model and report for BSE.
The previous risk assessment, released in October 2003, was revised to incorporate information available through December 2003,
including the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in Washington State.
The revised risk assessment model evaluates the impact of measures implemented after the discovery of the BSE-positive
cow and recommendations made by an international BSE panel.
The public meeting will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., in the Jefferson Auditorium of the South Building of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, 20250.
For further information, contact Dr. Chuanfa Guo, senior risk analyst, Risk Assessment Division, FSIS, at (202) 690-0817
or by electronic mail at
Chuanfa.guo@fsis.usda.gov
FSIS Issues Notice on Non-Routine Incident Data Collection Efforts
FSIS issued Notice 42-06, titled,
Non-Routine Incident Data Collection Efforts.
This notice announces that FSIS personnel will collect information about the operational status of official
establishments, as well as facilities that handle FSIS-regulated products (e.g., warehouses), during a non-routine
incident (e.g., a hurricane).
FSIS field personnel may be notified to supply information as to whether official establishments or facilities are
operational as a result of the non-routine incident.
Notice 42-06 is available on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/
Notice_42-06/index.asp.
Speech Available on FSIS' Web Site
Visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
2006_Speeches/ to view Under
Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond's May 31, welcoming remarks for the roll-out of the small and very
small plant outreach plan in College Station, Texas.
EIAOs to Provide Outreach to Small and Very Small Plants
By late summer, as part of FSIS' outreach efforts to small and very small plants, the agency will utilize enforcement,
investigation and analysis officers (EIAOs) in the field to proactively visit establishments, explain FSIS procedures
and provide additional information or resources as requested by individual plants.
This is a further step in the groundbreaking initiative that was announced on May 31 in College Station, Texas. FSIS
would like to provide operators of small and very small plants with assistance to further improve their establishments'
food safety programs.
As part of its commitment to ensure food safety at all plants, FSIS held a national series of listening sessions and
identified innovative ways for small and very small establishments to fully benefit from the Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Point system.
The program will feature a toll-free number and Web page to assist small plants and offer better access to technical
resources, including scientific validation materials and education and training information, delivered in new and
innovative ways.
Partnerships with industry, academia, consumers, federal, state and international public health partners will be expanded
and better leveraged.
FSIS will assess the needs of the small and very small plants as well as evaluate the effectiveness of agency programs
designed to assist them on a continuing basis.
Additional aspects of the program will include utilizing FSIS employees to meet proactively with small and very small
plants, get more details about their specific needs and provide joint training sessions for small and very small plants
and FSIS employees.
These visits to area plants are designed to enhance lines of communication between FSIS and operators of small and
very small plants.
EIAOs will informally discuss regulatory requirements specific to each facility, what preparations a plant should take
in anticipation of a scheduled food safety assessment and help identify information resources that assist in
strengthening a plant's food safety system.
Small and very small plants comprise about 90 percent of the approximately 6,000 federally inspected meat, poultry and
egg product plants in the United States. For more information about Small & Very Small Plant Outreach, visit
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Small_Very_Small_Plant_Outreach/index.asp.
FSIS Issues Notice on E. coli Sampling
FSIS issued Notice 43-06 on July 20, titled,
Retail Escherichia Coli (E. coli) O157:H7 Sampling.
This notice provides direction to investigators from the Office of Program Evaluation, Enforcement and Review, Compliance
and Investigations Division, for collecting raw ground beef samples at retail stores for E. coli O157:H7 analysis.
The notice provides clarification to investigators at retail facilities on whether or not they should collect ground beef
samples. This notice also provides clarification as to what products are considered "specially manufactured beef
trimmings."
Notice 43-06 is available on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/
Notice_43-06/index.asp.
FSIS Issues Directive on Non-Routine Incident Response
FSIS issued Directive 5500.2 (PDF Only) on July 19, titled,
Non-Routine Incident Response.
The directive expands the definition of non-routine (emergency) incidents to include terrorist attacks and natural
disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. It also provides instructions to inspection program personnel on how to
report incidents involving FSIS-regulated product on FSIS Form 5500-4, Non-Routine Incident Report (formerly FSIS Form
6500-5).
This directive also outlines the procedures that should be followed by the Emergency Management Committee (EMC) in
managing a non-routine incident. This directive was formerly 6500.1 and is being renumbered to be included in the
correct numbering series.
The directive is available on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/
FSISDirectives/5500.2.pdf.
FSIS Re-Issues Notice on Verifying an Establishment's Food Safety System
FSIS re-issued Directive 5000.1 Revision 1 (PDF Only), on July 18,
to provide comprehensive direction to consumer safety inspectors on how they are to protect the public health by properly
verifying an establishment's compliance with the pathogen reduction, sanitation, and hazard analysis and critical
control point regulations.
This directive titled, Verifying an Establishment's Food Safety System, includes two appendices on slaughter
process verification methodology and completing FSIS Form 5400-4, when more than one inspector performs sanitation ISP
procedures in large establishments 2006. The appendices were inadvertently omitted when FSIS posted the revised
directive on June 1.
The notice is available on FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/
FSISDirectives/5000.1_A1.pdf.
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Last Modified:
July 21, 2006 |
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