Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113; FAX: (202) 690-0460
Steven Cohen 

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2002- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced that it is strengthening its reinspection program for meat and poultry imports. FSIS is applying a new systems approach to inspection that provides a more accurate picture of a nation’s food safety regimen, in conjunction with new computers capable of better reporting and trend analysis and oversight of the inspection force.

"FSIS is continually working to improve its public health food safety programs for both domestic and imported meat and poultry products," said Dr. Garry L. McKee, FSIS administrator. "This new approach to import inspection will provide a more accurate overview of foreign inspection systems and more quickly pinpoint problems when they occur."

The new system, which has been in use with Canada, will focus on a foreign country’s inspection system as a whole rather than on individual plants. A new statistically-based sampling program based on the annual volume of shipments from the exporting country will be used to select import shipments for reinspection. Previously, for all countries except Canada, reinspection was assigned at random based on the compliance history of the establishment that exported the products.

FSIS has also modernized the Automated Import Information System (AIIS) to reflect the systems approach to import reinspection. The upgraded AIIS-3 computer system links inspectors at all points-of-entry, allowing information on shipments and violations to be shared immediately. The computers will assist in trend analysis and identifying problems in establishments that export to the United States. While all imported products are inspected in the country of origin and reinspected visually before being released by FSIS, the AIIS-3 selects shipments for additional reinspection verification. The additional reinspection tasks could include testing for residues, microbiology or food chemistry.

The updated AIIS can capture more information, such as markings and certification numbers, that will allow FSIS to better track shipments of meat and poultry products once they enter the country. In addition, inspectors will be allowed to conduct more examinations on all shipments randomly selected for re-inspection, thus allowing for increased emphasis on food safety related tasks. The revised system is user-friendly for inspection personnel and allows managers to have easier access to inspection reports.

FSIS held a public meeting in June 2001 to discuss possible changes to the way it selects meat and poultry product shipments for reinspection.

All countries that export meat and poultry products to the United States must have an inspection system equivalent to the U.S. system. FSIS conducts a vigorous document and on-site review process to determine if a foreign country is eligible to export to this country. FSIS maintains equivalency determinations by conducting periodic audits and reinspecting imported meat and poultry shipments at U.S. ports-of-entry.

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NOTE: Access news releases and other information at the FSIS Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov

For Further Information, Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 690-0460

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