FSIS Adjusts Regulations Regarding Non-Human Food Production

FSIS announced a rule amending federal meat inspection regulations to enable FSIS-inspected establishments to allow pet food and other products not for human consumption to be prepared in an establishment outside the hours of operation when FSIS inspectors are not present. Establishments that produce both edible (for humans) and inedible (pet/animal food) must have controls and procedures in place to prevent the adulteration of human foods from insanitary conditions or the mixing of products.

FSIS will continue to require establishments to handle and process inspected meat and poultry products for human consumption in a sanitary manner under their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans to control pathogens. Establishments must also have safeguards in place to prevent products intended for pets or animals from entering commerce as human food. USDA in-plant personnel verify that establishments’ plans are effective in controlling, reducing, or eliminating hazards at all control points in the production of human food. FSIS inspection personnel will continue to ensure the separation of human food and animal feed/pet food in establishments.

Animal feed and pet food products will continue to be regulated at the federal level by the Food and Drug Administration.

To view the rule, visit the FSIS website at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register/rules/preparation-uninspected-products-outside-hours-inspectional-supervision.

FSIS Retail Deli Lm Pilot Project Update

On January 25, 2016, FSIS launched a multi-year, nationwide pilot project to assess whether retail delicatessens are using the recommendations in the document titled FSIS Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Lm in Retail Delicatessens.  Since January 2016, FSIS has assessed a total of 5,239 retail delis to determine the adoption rate of the recommendations. FSIS continues to track progress for this pilot project in its Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Plan and the FSIS Strategic Plan, FY 2017-2021.

As of the third quarter in fiscal year (FY) 2019, FSIS met its target with 1,353 assessed retail delis following 92% of the 33 recommendations, over the previous 12 months.

Under its strategic and annual plans, FSIS is also tracking whether the retail delis assessed are following all of the top eight recommendations identified in the FSIS Retail Lm Guidance. The top eight recommendations can be found on pages 1-2 of the FSIS Directive 10.310.1- Pilot Project: Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens.

As of the third quarter in FY 2019, FSIS exceeded its target with 70% of the 1,353 assessed retail delis following all eight of the most important recommendations, over the previous 12 months.

Retailers can ask questions about the Lm pilot project through askFSIS or by telephone at 1-800-233-3935. When submitting a question, retailers should use the "Submit a Question tab" and enter "Retail Lm" in the subject field, select "General Inspection Policy" for the product, "Sampling" for the category, and "Domestic (U.S.) Only" for the policy arena.

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

On August 20, 2019, FSIS will update the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts and comminuted poultry products at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/science-data/data-sets-visualizations/microbiology.

Additionally, FSIS will post the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing young chicken or turkey carcasses, raw chicken parts or not ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted poultry products at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/science-data/data-sets-visualizations/microbiology

Export Requirements Updates

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

• Australia
• Curacao
• Honduras
• Japan
• Jordan
• Korea, Republic of
• Mexico
• Morocco
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Qatar

Complete information can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/inspection/import-export.

Policy Updates

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/inspection/import-export. The following policy updates were recently issued:

Docket No. FSIS 2016-0032 - Preparation of Uninspected Products Outside of the Hours of Inspectional Supervision

FSIS Notice 25-19 - Dioxin Survey for Domestic Farm-Raised and Wild-Caught Siluriformes Fish