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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
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Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
News and Information
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said today that, after a thorough scientific analysis, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin accepting applications for import permits for certain ruminant-derived products from Canada.
“We have a long history of safeguards in place to prevent the introduction of BSE in the United States, and the continued protection of the U.S. food supply is our top priority,” Veneman said. “Our experts have thoroughly reviewed the scientific evidence and determined that the risk to public health is extremely low.”
The USDA will no longer prohibit the importation of hunter-harvested wild ruminant products intended for personal use and it will begin to accept applications for import permits for certain products from Canada, including:
More information is available on the department’s website at http://www.usda.gov.
On August 4, 2003, a Federal Register notice was published announcing the availability of the FSIS Safety and Security Guidelines for the Transportation and Distribution of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products. The guidelines are designed to help facilities and shippers that handle meat, poultry and egg products strengthen their food safety and security plans. The guidelines address points in the transportation and distribution process where potential contaminants could be introduced, including loading and unloading, and in-transit storage. FSIS encourages shippers, transporters, distributors and receivers to develop and implement controls to prevent contamination of products through all phases of distribution and to have plans in place in the event of accidental or deliberate contamination.
As part of the Federal Register notice, the Agency is seeking response from interested parties to a series of questions to determine whether there is a need to adopt any of these guidelines as regulations. For further information, contact Dr. Perfecto Santiago, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Program Development Staff, Office of Policy and Program Development, FSIS, at (202) 205-0699.
Access the Federal Register notice, Docket No. 03-015N, FSIS Safety and Security Guidelines for the Transportation and Distribution of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products; Notice of Availability, online at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/03-015N.htm. Access the guidelines at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/topics/biosecurity2.htm#transport.
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings on August 20 and 22, 2003. The committee will discuss protocols for FSIS ongoing microbiological baseline studies of raw meat and poultry products, performance standards for broilers, the scientific basis for establishing safety-based “use by” date labeling for refrigerated ready-to-eat foods, and scientific criteria for redefining pasteurization.
In addition to the plenary session, NACMCF subcommittees also will hold meetings that are open to the public on August 19-21, 2003. The subcommittees on Microbiological Performance Standards for Broilers (young chicken)/Ground Chicken (to review protocols for new FSIS microbiological baseline studies for raw ground beef components) and Scientific Criteria for Redefining Pasteurization will meet concurrently on August 19, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The Microbiological Performance Standards for
Broilers (young chicken)/Ground Chicken (to review baseline protocols) will meet again on August, 20, 10:15 a.m.-5:00 p.m. The subcommittee on Criteria for Shelf-life Based on Safety will meet on August 21, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The full committee will meet Aug. 20 from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and Aug. 22 and from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Subcommittee meetings will be held on August 19, 20, and 21. The committee and subcommittee meetings are open to the public and will be held at the Hotel Monaco, Athens Room, 700 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004. For additional information contact Karen Thomas at karen.thomas@fsis.usda.gov, or by telephone (202) 690-6620, or fax (202) 690-6334.
The Agency issued a press release on August 7, 2003, notifying constituents of the public meetings. Access additional information and a full schedule of subcommittee meetings at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/03-028N.htm. Access the agenda at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ophs/nacmcf/meetings.htm.
On October 6, 2003, the interim final rule, Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products, (68 FR 34208) will become final. In continuation of our outreach efforts to assist small and very small plants, FSIS will hold five workshops to provide an overview of the final rule to owners and operators of small and very small Federal and State plants. In addition, the workshops will provide a more in-depth understanding of the three compliance alternatives, sampling provisions, recordkeeping requirements and the use of labeling claims.
The workshops will be held on September 13, 2003, in Raleigh , NC and Bridgeport, CT; on September 20 in Kansas City, KS; and October 4 in Oakland, CA and Albuquerque, NM. The meeting sites for these workshops will be announced at a later date. Meeting the special needs of small and very small plants is the priority of these hands-on workshops and if space becomes limited, preference will be afforded to representatives from those plants.
For more information on the Listeria workshops, please contact Mary Cutshall, Director, Strategic Initiatives, Partnerships and Outreach Staff, on 202-690-6520.
On August 1, 2003, Dr. Garry McKee, FSIS Administrator, announced the creation of two new positions in the FSIS Office of the Administrator (OA) and two new positions in the FSIS Office of Management (OM).
The two positions created under OA are Director of Commissioned Corp Operations and Senior Advisor for Workforce Training and Education. Captain Cindy Pond, of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS), assumed the position of Director of Commissioned Corp Operations. She will work with Human Resources Development to expand the number of PHS Commissioned Corp Officers detailed to FSIS with scientific expertise on public health issues. On September 1, 2003, Commander Lynn Hodges, of PHS, will assume the position of Senior Advisor for Workforce Training and Education. She will serve as the Administrator’s key advisor on the training and education capacity for the Agency.
The two positions created under OM are the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer. Paul Haynes assumed his position as Chief Financial Officer on July 20, 2003. His primary responsibility will be managing the Agency’s budget and finances. Clif Gonzales began his position as Chief Information Officer on July 27, 2003. He will be responsible for supporting food safety, public health, and food security requirements through the development and implementation of information technology and information management systems.
Additionally, effective August 4, 2003, William Milton will be serving as Acting Assistant Administrator for OM. Yvonne Davis will also be serving as Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for OM.
Mike Wehr was recently named Director of the Codex Program Staff. Lynda Kelley was also named Strategic Manager for Research.
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes on export requirements for Colombia, Russia, French Polynesia (Tahiti), and Thailand.
The export requirements can be accessed at the following location: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/export/explib.htm.
The list of plants eligible to export fresh meat and poultry products to Russia have been updated in the Export Library on FSIS' Web site. Access the eligible plant list at: www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/export/explib.htm.
The following docket has been updated on the FSIS web site to include Lists of Commenters and Comments:
Docket No. 99-060N -Recent Developments Regarding Beef Products Contaminated With Escherichia coli O157:H7; Public Meeting [Related Documents]
Remarks delivered by Deputy Under Secretary Dr. Merle Pierson, “Biosecurity and Public Health,” July 19, 2003 at the AFDO Post-conference Laboratory Workshop, Chicago, IL, are now available online.
Access this speech and others at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/speeches/speeches.htm
The International HACCP Alliance is offering a condensed version of the USDA/FSIS Consumer Safety Officer (CSO) Educational Program and the Food Safety Regulatory Essentials (FSRE) program. The session will focus on the CSO Work Methods and Administrative Enforcement Activities of the Consumer Safety Officer and the FSRE program will focus on elements being taught to inspectors from FSIS Directive 5000.1, Revision 1. The session is designed to allow industry to develop a better understanding of these two educational programs and the roles of the trained personnel within the Agency.
Date: August 12-15, 2003
Location: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Fee: $95 per person
The program is limited to 75 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Contact the International HACCP Alliance office at 979-862-3075 for more information.
*This section has been added to remind readers of information
available on the FSIS web site.
Web links will vary from week-to-week.
For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Constituent Affairs Program
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 720-5704
E-mail:
LisaWallenda.Picard@fsis.usda.gov