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

FSIS Constituent Update: February 27, 2004

McKee Selected as Science Advisor for FSIS Technical Service Center
Dr. Barbara Masters to Serve as FSIS Acting Administrator

Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Elsa Murano announced yesterday that Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator Dr. Garry L. McKee has been named Science Advisor for the Technical Service Center in Omaha, Neb.

"We are pleased that Dr. McKee was selected to serve in this new position," said Murano. "I commend the many contributions Dr. McKee has made as administrator, particularly improving inspector training."

McKee chose to apply for the position in Nebraska to be geographically closer to his family. In his new position, McKee will provide scientific and public health guidance to the Technical Service Center staff. McKee was named FSIS Administrator in July 2002.

Murano also announced the selection of Dr. Barbara Masters, a veterinarian, as acting FSIS administrator until a permanent administrator is appointed.

Access the entire press release at: http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0086.04.html

FSIS Offers Laboratory Training for Pathologists and Histologists

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is offering laboratory training sessions on the histological and immunohistochemical methods and identification of risk material in advanced meat recovery product (AMR). The training will familiarize the participants on technical aspects of staining methods and morphologic characteristics used to identify the risk material. Given the extremely technical nature of the training, attendance is limited to pathologists and histologists experienced in histological identification of a variety of animal tissues, interpreting histologic sections, and using and interpreting immunohistochemistry.

The registration fee is $250.00 per person and training sessions will be held at the FSIS Eastern Laboratory in Athens, Georgia. Sessions are expected to last 2-3 days, but no dates have been set for the sessions until interest can be gauged. Those interested in attending should contact Krystal Thorn via e-mail at AMR.Training@fsis.usda.gov or call 979-260-9562, by March 15, 2004.

Export Requirement Updates

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for Bahrain, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, European Union, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Morocco, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Complete information can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/export/explib.htm

Codex Schedules Public Meetings for 2004

A number of public meetings have been scheduled to occur prior to Codex Committee sessions this year. The Delegates to the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC), the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS), the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) and the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) have all posted public meetings. Dates, times and locations for theses meetings are available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/codex/meeting.htm.

BSE Teaching Workshops Continue

Over 120 participants from small and very small establishments and state programs have attended the Agency’s first three BSE Teaching Workshops. Participants were presented with an explanation of the new BSE regulatory requirements and were provided technical assistance and resource materials. The feedback has been positive and there is still time to register for the two remaining workshops, which are listed below.

 

FSIS encourages participants to pre-register for the workshops. Participants can either call (800) 384-3100 or click on one of the links below for the workshop in their area.

Madison, Wisconsin: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/reg_madison.asp

Binghamton, New York: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/reg_binghamton.asp

THIS WEEK’S HOT WEB LINKS

*This section has been added to remind readers of information available on the FSIS web site.
Web links will vary from week-to-week.

• Food Safety and Inspection Service Electronic Reading Room
  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FOIA/readroom.htm
   

• Remarks Delivered by Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elsa A. Murano, on Advancements in 2003 and USDA’s Initiatives to Improve Food Safety in 2004
  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/speeches/2004/em_nma.htm

For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Constituent Affairs Program
Phone: (202) 720-9113
Fax: (202) 720-5704
E-mail: LisaWallenda.Picard@fsis.usda.gov

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