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FSIS to Hold Regulatory Education Sessions for Small and Very Small Plants
FSIS will hold regulatory education sessions for the owners and operators of small and very small plants
in Wisconsin, Texas, New York, Missouri and California.
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 regulatory education sessions will be held at the following locations:
September 12, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., at the Howard Johnson Hotel, 3841 E. Washington Avenue, Madison, WI;
September 18, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., at the MCC Building Auditorium, University of Texas, 3935 West Braker Lane (on the southwest corner of MOPac [Loop 1] and Braker Lane), Austin, Texas;
September 19, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., at the Crown Plaza Albany Hotel, State and Lodge Streets, Albany, NY;
September 19, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., at the Millennium Hotel St. Louis, 200 South 4th Street, St. Louis, MO; and
September 20, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., at the Embassy Suites Hotel Los Angeles, Covina, 1211 E. Garvey Street, Covina, CA.
To register by phone, call (800) 336-3747. Online registration forms and information about upcoming sessions
can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Outreach_Sessions_SVS_Plants/index.asp.
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods to Hold Public Meeting
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings on
September 18 - 22. Agenda items include the determination of cooking parameters for safe seafood for
consumers and assessment of the food safety importance of Mycobacterium avian subspecies paratuberculosis.
The subcommittee on Determination of Cooking Parameters for Safe Seafood for Consumers will hold opening meetings
on September 18 - 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The subcommittee on Assessment of the Food Safety Importance of Mycobacterium avium subspecies
paratuberculosis will hold open meetings on September 20 - 21, from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
All subcommittee meetings will be held at the Aerospace Building, 901 D St., SW., Room 369, Washington, DC.
The full committee will hold a meeting on September 22, from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., in the conference room at
the south end of the USDA South Building cafeteria, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC.
For more information about the public meetings, contact Karen Thomas, advisory committee specialist, at
(202) 690-6620 or by e-mail at Karen.Thomas@fsis.usda.gov.
Register for the 2006 Food Safety Education Conference Today
Register today for the 2006 Food Safety Education Conference titled, "Reaching At-Risk Audiences and Today's
Other Food Safety Challenges" in Denver, CO, from September 27-29. Pre-conference workshops will be held
September 25-26.
The three-day conference is sponsored by FSIS; NSF International, a non-profit public health company; the
Food and Drug Administration; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; USDA's Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service; USDA's Food and Nutrition Service; NSF/WHO Collaborating Center for Food
Safety; and other partners.
The conference, which will focus on educating general and at-risk populations such as pregnant women, children,
older adults, immune-compromised patients and culturally diverse populations about food safety, will be organized
around five primary themes:
- Foodborne Illness Surveillance and Epidemiological Insights;
- Food Safety Behavioral and Attitudinal Research;
- Social Marketing, Educational Interventions and Program Research;
- Role of Foodservice and Food Industries; and
- New Technologies.
Hotel rooms at the conference rate of $124.00 are going quickly. To reserve your room, call the Adam's Mark
Hotel, 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO, at (800) 444-2326.
To register for the conference, view the entire program and see the list of presenters, go to
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/denver2006.
Export Tip of the Week
Before issuing FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness, FSIS inspection
officials should check to make sure the plant is eligible to export meat and/or poultry products to the
country of destination.
There are approximately 12 countries that maintain an approved plant list for imports of meat and/or poultry
products from the United States, including Australia, Mexico and Russia. Some of these countries import meat
products from over 1,000 plants and some from as few as five.
Plants may apply to be included on an approved plant list for most of these countries, but it is also important
to check the country requirements for any additional information regarding the procedures that should be
followed in making the application to be included on an approved plant list for the importing country.
It is the plant's responsibility to check a country's approved plant list and to file an application to be
included on the list for that particular country. However, it is the obligation of the FSIS inspector signing
the health certificate to verify that the plant is eligible to export product to the country of destination
prior to signing the health certificate.
For further information, call FSIS' Office of International Affairs at (202) 720-3473.
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.
FSIS Amends Directive on Homeland Security Threat Condition Response - Food Defense Verification Procedures
FSIS amended Directive 5420.1, Revision 3 on September 7, titled, Homeland Security Threat Condition Response -
Food Defense Verification Procedures.
This directive details the emergency food defense verification procedures that inspection program personnel will
follow when the Department of Homeland Security declares a threat condition yellow, orange or red.
The directive, which is effective on September 15, is available on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/
FSISDirectives/5420.1Rev3Amend1.pdf (PDF Only).
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Last Modified:
September 8, 2006 |
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