Reminder: Graduate Food Safety Fellowship Application Open

As announced in the June 10, 2022, Constituent Update, USDA’s Office of Food Safety (OFS) is continuing its Food Safety Fellowship program in partnership with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). The application period closes on August 30, 2022. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The anticipated appointment start date is November 7, 2022. Please view the application portal for more information and to apply.

FSIS to Post Updated Datasets on Import Refusals

On August 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 reinspects 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). 

The current import refusals dataset is updated around the 15th of each month and the archived dataset is updated around the 15th of the first month of each quarter. The datasets contain 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.

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 42-22 - USDA Material Management Service Center End of Fiscal Year Inventory and Reconciliation Closure

FSIS Notice 43-22 - End of the Year Performance Management Instructions

FSIS Notice 44-22 - Revised Young Chicken Carcass Exploratory Sampling Program

Export Requirements Update

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

• Kazakhstan
• Singapore
• Vietnam
• Barbados
• European Union
• Azerbaijan
• Chile
• Morocco
• North Macedonia
• Egypt
• Tunisia
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• French Polynesia (Tahiti)
• India
• New Zealand
• Benin
• Jordan
• United Arab Emirates
• Western Samoa (Samoa)
• Myanmar
• El Salvador
• Kiribati
• Solomon Islands
• New Caledonia
• Turkey

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