Food Safety and Inspection Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

Communications to Congress

March 2001

Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Inspection
1999 Report of the Secretary of Agriculture to the U.S. Congress

V. Foreign Review and Port-of-Entry Reinspection

Information on foreign program review and import reinspection is presented on a calendar-year basis, as required by the Federal Meat Inspection Act. Information on both meat and poultry imports is included, although no formal report is required by the Poultry Products Inspection Act. Only limited quantities of poultry products, mainly specialty items, are imported into the United States.

Foreign Certification

FSIS audits and reviews foreign inspection systems to ensure that foreign countries certified to export meat and poultry to the United States have equivalent inspection systems. During FY 1999, on-site audits of foreign inspection systems were completed in 265 foreign establishments and 33 foreign laboratories. All were found to be maintaining systems of inspection equivalent to those in the United States.

In addition, FSIS pilot-tested Team Equivalence Verification Audit Methodologies which is a new approach to verifying the continuing equivalence of long-standing trading partners. During 1999, FSIS pilot-tested the new tool in Australia and New Zealand.

Teams are normally used only during initial audits of a country that has not previously been eligible to export meat or poultry products to the United States. System audits focus on the overall delivery of inspection services in a foreign country, as opposed to the earlier model that relied on audits of foreign slaughter and processing establishments for compliance with U.S. requirements. System audits provide FSIS with information about how foreign governments carry out their responsibility to ensure exporting establishments attain the same level of public health protection as U.S. domestic establishments. Teams are used in countries where FSIS decides to place special emphasis on an inspection area that requires specialized expertise to audit. For example, in the case of Australia and New Zealand, FSIS added a microbiologist to provide a more in-depth examination of the E. coli and Salmonella testing programs in those countries.

During FY 1999, reviews of establishments, laboratories, and government inspection systems focused on ensuring continuing equivalence. FSIS audited establishment control systems for five risk areas: 1) sanitation controls, including the implementation and operation of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures; 2) animal disease controls; 3) residue controls; 4) slaughter and processing controls, including the implementation and operation of HACCP systems and the generic E. coli testing program; and 5) enforcement controls, including the testing program for Salmonella.

Meat, Poultry, and Egg Imports

In FY 1999, 3 billion pounds of imported meat and poultry were presented to FSIS for reinspection. Inspectors refused entry of 13 million pounds of this amount.

During FY 1999, nearly 5 million pounds of egg products were imported from Canada, an increase of over 19 percent from FY 1998. Of the total, more than 4 million pounds were imported in liquid form, more than 450,000 pounds in frozen form, and approximately 90,000 pounds in dried form. All imported product is inspected for wholesomeness. A total of 56 production lots were randomly selected and tested (microbiological and chemical analysis). No product was refused entry during FY 1999.

Import Certification

Certificates are required to accompany imported meat, poultry, and egg products to identify products by country and plants of origin, destination, shipping marks, and amounts. They certify that the products are wholesome, not adulterated or misbranded; that they otherwise comply with U.S. requirements; and, for meat and poultry products, that they received ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection.

Automated Import Information System (AIIS)

A description of each lot arriving at a U.S. port is entered into the Automated Import Inspection System (AIIS). This computerized system centralizes reinspection and shipping information from all ports, allowing FSIS to determine the frequency of reinspection assignments based on the compliance history of each country and establishment. The following information is stored in the system:

• amount and kind of products offered from each country and establishment and the amount refused entry;
• results of certification and labeling reinspections;
• results of organoleptic reinspection for defects such as bone, hair, and cartilage; and
• results of laboratory samples tested for residues, microbiology, proper cooking temperatures, and economic and other adulterants.

To ensure that representative samples are selected, statistical sampling plans are applied to each lot of product to be reinspected. The criteria for acceptance or rejection of imports are the same as those applied to U.S. meat and poultry products prepared under Federal inspection.

In order to export to the United States, a foreign country must have a residue control program with standards equivalent to U.S. standards. The Federal Meat Inspection Act requires that foreign residue control programs include: random sampling of animals at slaughter; approved sampling and analytical methods; testing target tissues for specific compounds; and testing compounds identified by the USDA or the origin country as potential contaminants.

Laboratory Sampling

Imported meat and poultry products are sampled for microbiological contamination and chemical residues. As in domestic inspection, shipments are not held until laboratory test results are received unless there is some reason to suspect contamination.

If a laboratory reports a residue or microbiological violation on a sample that has otherwise passed reinspection, efforts are made to locate any part of the shipment that is still available. Products recovered may not be used for human food. If product is in commerce or at the consumer level, product recall actions are taken. In addition, the foreign country is notified of the violation, and further shipments from the producing establishment are held until laboratory analyses showing negative results are received.

Codex Alimentarius Commission

In accordance with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Uruguay Round Agreements Act, USDA was designated as the lead agency for U.S. participation in the sanitary and phytosanitary standards-setting activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. As designated by the Secretary, FSIS coordinates U.S. participation in these activities.

On May 26, 1999, FSIS published a notice in the Federal Register informing the public of the sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting activities of the Commission. During the course of the fiscal year, FSIS announced, through Federal Register Notice, publication on the FSIS Web site, or both, approximately 20 public meetings on Codex standard-setting activities. At these meetings information on issues was provided and comments were accepted. FSIS also posted on its Web site information on upcoming sessions of the Codex Commission, Codex Committees, and reports of recent meetings. These activities have contributed to the transparency of the standard-setting process.

FSIS developed and delivered training programs for approximately 40 U.S. government delegates and alternate delegates to Codex Committees. In one program, experts presented information on intercultural aspects of dealing with representatives of the member States of the European Union. In another, U.S. delegates and staff of the U.S. Codex Office addressed issues related to developing U.S. replies to Codex Circular Letters and developing U.S. positions on issues coming before Codex Committees. These programs were designed to improve the skills of U.S. delegates.

FSIS successfully managed three sessions of Codex Committees. These international meetings involved more than 450 representatives of member countries and observer organizations. The work of these Committees is integral to advancing the sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting activities of the Commission. FSIS participated in numerous bilateral discussions on food safety issues being considered by the Commission.

The June 1999 Session of the Commission was a significant success for the United States. Key decisions made during this session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission included the following:

• election of Mr. Thomas Billy, Administrator, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, as Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission;

• adoption of 418 new Codex standards and related texts;

• establishment of an Ad-Hoc Intergovernmental Codex Task Force on Foods Derived From Biotechnology;

• adoption of a mid-term operational plan for the period 1998-2002 that includes an emphasis on: the use of risk analysis in setting Codex standards; consideration of standards or related texts on foods derived from biotechnology; procedures for determining equivalence; and establishing general recommendations to improve the transparency of Codex decision-making;

• amendment of the Rules of Procedure to strengthen the use of consensus in Codex decision-making in adopting standards and related texts;

• reaffirmation that Codex activities relating to risk analysis have a high priority and that a World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization Joint Expert Group on the microbiological aspects of food safety, particularly microbiological risk assessment, should be established; and

• agreement to a series of recommendations to enhance the involvement of consumers in the work of Codex.

Table 5-1

Table 5-1 lists the number of plants in each foreign country certified to export meat or poultry products to the United States during 1999. It also shows the number of inspectors licensed by each country to inspect those products.

* Number of inspectors is in accordance with previous year's data

Exhibit 5-2

Exhibit 5-2 shows the sources of products exported to the United States during 1999.

Source of Products Imported into the United States by Volume and Percentage

Chart Shown in Millions of Pounds -- Total Pounds = 3,371,297,000

Exhibit 5-3

Exhibit 5-3 shows the types of products imported into the United States during 1999.

Types of Products Imported into the United States by Percentage

Table 5-4

Table 5-4 and tables 5-4A through 5-4G show the volume of products in metric tons and pounds, by major product category, imported into the United States from each eligible country in 1999.

Table 5-4A  Fresh Beef - Passed for Entry in 1999 in Metric Tons (Pounds in Thousands)

Section V Continues    |    Return to Contents

For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Congressional and Public Affairs Staff
Phone: (202) 720-3897
Fax: (202) 720-5704

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