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FSIS to Hold Public Meeting on Definition of the Term "Natural"
FSIS will hold a public meeting on December 12 to discuss "product labeling: definition of the term 'natural.'"
The agency received a petition from Hormel Foods to establish a definition for the voluntary claim "natural" and to
delineate the conditions under which the claim can be used on the labels of meat and poultry products.
The public meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the south end of the cafeteria located in the USDA South
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, D.C. 20250.
For more information about the public meeting, contact Robert Post at (202) 205-0279 or by e-mail at
Robert.Post@fsis.usda.gov.
FSIS to Co-Chair Symposium on Risk Analysis
FSIS will co-chair a symposium with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2006 Society for
Risk Analysis (SRA) annual meeting.
The theme of the meeting is "Risk Analysis in a Dynamic World: Making a Difference."
The symposium will focus on modeling the attribution of foodborne illness in the United States and adaptation of a
model for attributing human Salmonellosis to consumption of meat, poultry and eggs in the United States.
The SRA annual meeting brings together nearly 1,000 international scientists and practitioners from a wide range of
disciplines who share an interest in risk analysis. The annual meeting will feature several plenary sessions focused
on the theme of making a difference and the role of risk analysis in a dynamic world.
It will also consist of technical sessions in the form of oral presentations, posters and poster-platforms.
The SRA meeting will be held from December 3 - 6, at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, 202 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Md. 21202.
For more information about the symposium, visit http://birenheide.com/sra/2006AM/program/
singlesession.php3?sessid=M3-E.
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert on Recalled HoneyBaked Foods Products
FSIS issued a public health alert on November 29, to remind consumers of the November 24, recall of cooked ham and
turkey products from HoneyBaked Foods, Inc., of Holland, Ohio. The products may be contaminated with
Listeria monocytogenes.
The ham and turkey products were sold nationwide through Internet and telephone catalogue sales as well as at retail
establishments and kiosks in Toledo, Ohio. The products were sold before Thanksgiving and any leftovers should be
discarded.
While FSIS was confirming that HoneyBaked Foods, Inc., contacted customers who had purchased the products subject to
recall through telephone and Internet catalog sales, the agency was informed of seven cases of self-reported illnesses.
At this time, these illnesses have not been confirmed by laboratory testing, nor have they been diagnosed by a medical
professional. The consumers involved in these reports are located in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan,
Mississippi, Nevada and Texas.
To view the public health alert, visit FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_112906_01/
index.asp.
FSIS Continues to Solicit and Accept Comments on Risk-Based Inspection
FSIS is soliciting comments on the topics that were discussed during the public meeting on risk-based inspection (RBI).
FSIS held the public meeting on October 10 and 11 to discuss risk-based inspection issues. The meeting provided an
overview of FSIS' vision for risk-based inspection.
FSIS is accepting comments until it posts a report in December prepared for the agency by the third party facilitator,
Resolve, Inc. The agency will make another announcement at that time about the report's availability and an
opportunity for public comment.
Comments can be submitted by e-mail to
RiskBasedInspection@fsis.usda.gov
or by fax to (202) 690-6519.
For more information about risk-based inspection,
visit FSIS' Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations/
Risk_Based_Inspection/
FSIS to Hold Regulatory Education Sessions for Small and Very Small Plants
FSIS will hold regulatory education sessions on December 2 and 5 for the owners and operators of small and very small
plants in Georgia and Texas.
The sessions will cover a regulatory walk-through of sanitation standard operating procedures and the hazard analysis
and critical control point and rules of practice regulations.
The regulatory education sessions will be held at the following locations:
Saturday, December 2, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, 165 Courtland Street, Atlanta, Ga. 30303; and
Tuesday, December 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Embassy Suites Dallas Market Center, 2727 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75207.
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.
FSIS Posts 2007 Strategic Implementation Plan on Enhancing Outreach to Small and Very Small Plants
FSIS has posted on its Web site the 2007 strategic implementation plan on enhancing outreach to small and very small plants.
It outlines what the agency plans to accomplish during fiscal year (FY) 2007, as well the agency's outreach accomplishments
for FY 2006.
The 2007 strategic implementation plan can be viewed on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
Small_Very_Small_Plant_Outreach/index.asp.
The agency also posted to its Web site copies of the enforcement investigations and analysis officer (EIAO) work methods
training modules.
EIAOs conducts comprehensive food safety assessments at establishments in which they consider all food safety aspects
that relate to that establishment and its products, the nature and source of all materials received, the establishment's
processes and the environment of the establishment.
This information, combined with recently issued and updated directives, describes FSIS policies and procedures for EIAOs.
The EIAO work methods training modules are available on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Employees/
EIAO_Training_Modules/index.asp.
FSIS Issues New Notices
FSIS publishes directives and notices to enable the agency to carry out its mission of protecting public health.
Last week, FSIS issued the following notices:
- Notice 78-06 - Export Library Revisions for October 2006. This notice informs inspection program personnel of changes that countries made to export requirements within the month of October.
- Notice 79-06 - Clarification Regarding Appropriate Use of the Content of FSIS Workforce Training Materials in Relation to Policy and Validation. This notice clarifies the appropriate use of FSIS workforce training material.
- Notice 80-06 - Notice of Availability for Various Questions. This notice provides answers to five commonly asked questions about hazard analysis and critical control point.
- Notice 81-06 - Clarification of Re-inspection Procedures for Product Presented for Export at Official Establishments. This notice clarifies re-inspection procedures that inspection program personnel should employ in official establishments before issuing export certificates.
These notices can be viewed on FSIS' Web site at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
FSIS_Notices_Index/index.asp.
Within the next month, FSIS expects to issue the following directives and notices:
Directives
- 5500.4 - Products Intentionally Adulterated with Threat Agents. This directive instructs FSIS inspection program personnel how to verify that establishments properly address and control intentionally adulterated product.
- 10,000.1 - Policy on Use of Results from Non-FSIS Laboratories. This notice describes the decision making process that FSIS uses when determining whether it is appropriate to rely on results from a non-FSIS laboratory.
Notices (Numbers are assigned as notices are issued)
- Documentation of a Regulatory Noncompliance Related to Specified Risk Material. This notice clarifies how inspection program personnel are to document regulatory non-compliance related to specified risk materials on non-compliance reports.
- Performance Based Inspection System (PBIS) Version 5.1.6. This notice provides instructions for changes to PBIS and provides new instructions related to surveys and profile extensions.
- Availability of Electronic Web-Based Form 10,240-1. This notice provides instructions for using the electronic 10,240-1.
Natural Claims
FSIS revised the entry for "Natural Claims" in its Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book on the agency's Web site to
clarify the "Notes" added to the entry in August 2005.
Visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Basics_of_Labeling/index.asp for more information.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following:
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- European Union
- Republic of Korea
Complete information can be found at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
Hot Links
E-mail Subscription Service - The e-mail alert service provides automatic and customized
access to selected food safety news and information. Visit
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/
Email_Subscription/index.asp to sign up.
Ask Karen - FSIS' virtual representative can answer your questions 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. Visit "Ask Karen" at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/
Ask_Karen/index.asp#Question.
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Last Modified:
September 10, 2008 |
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