Reminder: Deadline Extended for Proposals to Collaborate on Two Risk Assessments

FSIS extended the deadline for proposals to collaborate on two risk assessments — one for Salmonella in chicken and another for Salmonella in turkey — to Monday, May 16. The cooperative agreement announcement that was posted on Grants.gov on March 2, 2022 has been amended to include additional clarifying details. Stakeholders may also submit questions about the announcement to George.Baptist@usda.gov until Monday, April 25 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. FSIS will post responses to the questions received on Grants.gov by Wednesday, May 4.

The risk assessments will provide scientific support for FSIS to develop a revised framework for controlling Salmonella in poultry. FSIS will evaluate both preharvest and postharvest intervention strategies and assess the impact of reducing Salmonella levels and the prevalence of subtypes of public health concern (e.g., Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Infantis) on the rate of Salmonella illnesses from chicken and turkey consumption.

FSIS is seeking proposals from a multi-disciplinary team to support these risk assessments. The team should include those who can make industry data available to FSIS in a confidential and secure manner, including data on Salmonella levels and subtypes in chicken and turkey, both pre- and post-harvest. The team should also have expertise in dose-response modeling that takes into consideration differences in Salmonella virulence among subtypes.  Multi-disciplinary teams may be from multiple institutions and must designate a single principal investigator from a U.S. organization. We encourage collaborations that include minority serving institutions.

NACMPI Committee Charter to be Reestablished

On April 12, 2022, FSIS announced in the Federal Register that it intends to reestablish the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) and its charter. NACMPI provides advice to the Secretary of Agriculture concerning state and federal programs with respect to meat and poultry inspection, food safety, and other matters that fall within the scope of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act.

More information on NACMPI can be found on the FSIS website.

Reminder: Upcoming NACMCF Subcommittee Meetings

The Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) Subcommittees will meet soon to discuss their progress and plan for additional subcommittee meetings during 2022. The NACMCF Subcommittee on Enhancing Salmonella Control in Poultry Products will convene a virtual subcommittee meeting on April 25, 2022, from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET. The NACMCF Subcommittee on Cyclospora cayetanensis, will convene a virtual subcommittee meeting on May 24, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.

To attend one or both of the virtual meetings, please contact the NACMCF Secretariat at NACMCF@usda.gov or John Jarosh, NACMCF Designated Federal Officer at 202-690-6128, or by email at john.jarosh@usda.gov. 

The purpose of NACMCF is to provide impartial, scientific advice and peer reviews to federal food safety agencies for use in the development of an integrated national food safety systems approach that assures the safety of domestic, imported, and exported foods.

Reminder: Resources to Expand Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity

As announced in the February 25, 2022, Constituent Update, USDA is making available grants and other support to expand meat and poultry processing options, strengthen the food supply chain, and create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. All recent actions taken to support the American food supply chain are posted to the Department’s website.   

Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program (MPRG)

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) is accepting applications now through May 24, 2022, for a second round of the MPRG program funding totaling $23.6 million. With this grant funding, meat and poultry processing businesses can cover the costs for improvements such as expanding existing facilities, modernizing processing equipment and meeting packaging, labeling, and food safety requirements needed to achieve a Federal Grant of Inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act, or to operate under a state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment program. These changes will allow these facilities to serve more customers in more markets.

Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP)

Rural Development (USDA-RD) designed the MPPEP to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resiliency. The MPPEP has $150 million to provide grants to help eligible processors diversify and expand their meat and poultry processing capacity. The deadline for submitting applications is May 11, 2022.

Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP)

USDA-RD’s MPILP, as part of the American Rescue Plan, will make available approximately $200 million in grants, in partnership with lenders, to support loans and other assistance to businesses at rates and on terms that increase access to long-term, affordable capital. Grants will be made to intermediaries to facilitate financing to qualified ultimate recipients for projects involving the start-up or expansion of meat and poultry processors to increase access to capital and processing capacity and help create a more resilient, diverse, and secure U.S. food supply chain. This program is different in that grant funds are not directly offered to firms desiring to process meat and poultry products and rather to financial institutions who facilitate the financing. Request for applications from lenders will be published by Summer 2022. USDA will put an initial emphasis on supporting lenders that invest in underserved communities. Sign up to receive emails from USDA-RD for more information about the program when it opens.

Meat and Poultry Processing Workforce Development Program

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) will invest an additional $40 million through existing workforce development programs to provide a pipeline of well-trained workers to meet the demand for both current processors and increased independent processing capacity. The primary investment will be competitive grants to support workforce training at community, junior and technical colleges with programs specifically for meat and poultry processing. A Request for Applications will be published in April 2022. Additional investments will leverage existing regional USDA education and Extension networks and establish new, or supplement select existing Centers of Excellence at Minority-serving Institutions focused on meat and poultry research, education and training. Each of these investments is designed to deliver needed support more quickly. Additional investments, either through the same or new programs and partnerships, are expected later this year. Sign up to receive emails from USDA-NIFA for more information about the program when it opens.

Revocation of Chlorpyrifos Tolerances

FSIS routinely tests for the pesticide chlorpyrifos in meat, poultry, and egg products as part of its multi-residue testing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published regulations revoking all tolerances for chlorpyrifos (effective February 28, 2022). Therefore, starting on October 1, 2022, FSIS will consider any detection of chlorpyrifos residue in domestic or imported meat, poultry or egg products produced on or after February 28, 2022, to be a residue violation. Until October 1, 2022, FSIS will continue to apply the tolerances that expired on February 28, 2022, when chlorpyrifos residues are detected in FSIS-regulated products. Starting on October 1, 2022, FSIS will take documentation that the chlorpyrifos residue is the result of a lawful use of the pesticide prior to February 28, 2022, into consideration when determining agency action. 

FSIS has consulted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EPA to determine how best to implement this change within the National Residue Program for FSIS-regulated products. FDA’s approach to enforcement with regard to FDA-regulated human food commodities is summarized on its website.

A review of FSIS data from Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 to the present indicates that residue control programs already in use by establishments largely address the potential for chlorpyrifos residues. Since FY 2015, chlorpyrifos has rarely been detected in FSIS-regulated products and FSIS does not anticipate any significant increases in regulatory actions with this change. 

The additional time before FSIS begins to take regulatory actions in response to any detection of chlorpyrifos, regardless of the level, is intended to allow sufficient time for stakeholders to implement any changes needed in response to EPA’s revocation of the chlorpyrifos tolerances. To assist with this change, the agency will contact establishments and foreign governments that have had non-violative detections to ensure they are aware of those detections. 

Questions regarding chlorpyrifos tolerances may be submitted through askFSIS. When submitting a question, complete the web form and select Residue Case Information as the Inquiry Type.

Canada and PHIS: Industry Testing Update

As announced in FSIS’ March 11, 2022, Constituent Update, starting June 13, 2022, export certificates for meat and poultry products (excluding casings and egg products) exported to Canada will be generated in FSIS’ Public Health Information System (PHIS). To facilitate industry testing and preparation for June 13, 2022, FSIS is providing a comparison of the FSIS Form 9060-5 and FSIS Form 9135-3 certificate data elements, including changes to which Canada agreed. The comparison can be found on FSIS’ PHIS Components web page, under “Information for Industry,” (see “Canada and PHIS: Industry Testing Guidance”).

The digitally signed FSIS Form 9060-5 series printed on plain paper will replace the FSIS Form 9135-3 and all Canadian letterhead certificates for meat and poultry. All additional attestations or other required information as documented in the Export Library will be captured in the FSIS Form 9060-5 remarks and/or FSIS Form 9060-5B. Industry is encouraged to use the Industry Test Environment (ITE) to test application submittals for export to Canada. Please note that Electronic Authorization (eAuth) level 2 is required for all persons that will access PHIS, both the test environment and the live production environment. Login credentials would have expired for those who have not used PHIS in 60 days. For those new to PHIS-export or with an expired eAuth level 2, please log in to initiate, update, or complete the eAuth level 2 and PHIS enrollment process.

For further guidance on PHIS export and enrollment, please refer to the following user guides:

• PHIS Industry User Guide
• Editing 9060 Records Quick Reference Guide
• PHIS Quick Reference Guide for Corporate and Establishment Management

Please contact askFSIS with policy questions regarding these changes. Technical questions can be directed to PHISTechnicalQA@usda.gov.

Make Food Safety the Centerpiece of Your Spring Holiday Feast

Springtime is here, and families across America are eager to gather around the table to commemorate holidays such as Easter, Passover or Eid al-Fitr. Though traditions may differ, these holidays have one thing in common — delicious food! Keep your feast memorable by following these food safety tips.

FSIS to Post Updated Dataset on Import Refusals

On April 15, 2022, FSIS will update the publicly posted dataset on import refusals for products that the agency regulates. Federal law requires every commercial shipment of imported meat, poultry, and egg products to be reinspected prior to product entering U.S. commerce. FSIS re-inspects each shipment to verify labeling, proper certification, general condition, and any signs of tampering and to identify product adulterated by transportation damage. FSIS also performs additional activities on a random and/or for-cause basis, such as physical product examination and laboratory sampling for pathogens and chemical residues.

Any product that does not meet FSIS requirements is refused entry, and the importer has up to 45 days (30 days for egg products) to have the product destroyed for use as human food, re-exported/returned to the foreign country, converted to animal food, or brought into compliance with FSIS requirements, if applicable (e.g., relabeled, remarked, or issued a replacement certificate). 

This dataset is updated around the 15th of each month and contains each shipment with product that was refused entry. To access these datasets or view more information about them, please visit the Import and Export Data page.

FSIS to Post Individual Category Status and Aggregate Results for Poultry Carcasses, Chicken Parts, and Comminuted Poultry Tested for Salmonella

On April 20, 2022, FSIS will update the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, and comminuted poultry products on the Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting page. Additionally, FSIS will post the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing young poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, or not ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted poultry products at the same location.

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy update was recently issued:

FSIS Notice 19-22 - Import Reinspection Activities Related to Fresh Meat Inspection Certificates for Fully Cooked Beef Skeletal Muscle Meat From Select Countries in South America

Export Requirements Update

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:

• Jordan
• Qatar
• South Africa
• Barbados
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• New Caledonia
• Uruguay
• Taiwan
• China
• Kazakhstan
• United Arab Emirates
• Western Samoa (Samoa)
• Ecuador
• Kiribati
• Dominican Republic 
• Tunisia
• Peru
• St. Lucia
• El Salvador
• Nicaragua
• Guatemala
• Japan
• Benin
• Namibia
• Honduras
• Canada
• North Macedonia
• Korea
• Mauritius
• Costa Rica
• New Zealand
• Solomon Islands
• Polynesia (Tahiti)
• Hong Kong
• India
• Colombia
• Singapore

Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.