FSIS Names New Deputy Chief Financial Officer

Michelle Garner has been named as FSIS’ Deputy Chief Financial Officer and she will also be acting as Chief Financial Officer for a few months. Michelle joined USDA in 1987 and has served in a variety of financial management roles throughout both FSIS and USDA. Most recently, Michelle served as FSIS’ Director of the Financial Management Division in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), managing a multi-disciplinary team encompassing system support, operations, travel, relocation, and accounts payable and receivable. She has worked in the Departmental Management Office of Operations, the USDA Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and at the Agricultural Research Service before joining FSIS in 2011. Michelle is also currently serving as FSIS’ acting Chief Financial Officer. 

FSIS Posts Updated Dataset on Imports

FSIS has updated the publicly posted dataset on import refusals for products regulated by FSIS. Federal law requires every commercial shipment of imported meat, poultry, and egg products to be inspected prior to product entering U.S. commerce. FSIS inspects each shipment to verify labeling, proper certification, general condition, any signs of tampering and to identify product adulterated by transportation damage. FSIS also performs additional inspection activities on a random and 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, replacement certificate).  For more information, please visit: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/science-data/data-sets-visualizations.

Establishment Specific Datasets Now Available

FSIS has posted a new establishment specific dataset on the FSIS website as announced in the Federal Register on July 14, 2016 (Docket No. FSIS-2014-0032). This is the full dataset of FSIS’ routine microbiological sampling of raw comminuted chicken. Prior to publishing this dataset, the sample dataset and corresponding data dictionary were posted on Nov. 16, 2018, and comments were sought until Dec. 28, 2018. FSIS updates existing datasets quarterly and this dataset will next be updated in April.

The quarterly updates to other establishment specific datasets are now available on the FSIS website:

• Establishment Demographic Data, which supplements the existing MPI Directory
• Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Meat and Poultry Sampling Data
• Egg Product Sampling Data
• Raw Ground Beef Sampling Data
• Raw Beef Trim Sampling Data
• Raw Beef Components Sampling Data
• Raw Beef Follow-up Sampling Data
• Raw Chicken Carcasses
• Raw Turkey Carcasses
• Raw Chicken Parts

The next new dataset that FSIS will post will be on FSIS’ routine microbiological sampling of raw comminuted turkey. The sample dataset and data dictionary will be posted on the FSIS website on Feb. 15, 2019.

Additional details can be found at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/science-data/data-sets-visualizations.

Reminder: Consumer Food Safety Education Conference to Be Held March 6-8, 2019

The Partnership for Food Safety Education will be holding its 2019 Consumer Food Safety Education conference from March 6-8, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. The conference, “From Consumers to Chefs: Food Safety Education Matters,” will focus on take-away strategies for changing people’s food safety knowledge and behaviors. More than 400 health and food safety educators are expected to attend to explore influences on consumers, how to effect behavior change, and discuss strategies to engage everyone in modeling proper food preparation and good hand hygiene practices. Information on how to register can be found at:  https://cfsec2019.fightbac.org/.

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available at: 
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy. The following policy update was recently issued:

• Docket No. FSIS-2018-0005 - Eliminating Unnecessary Requirements for Hog Carcass Cleaning

Export Requirements Updates

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

• European Union
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Morocco
• New Caledonia
• Republic of Korea
• Republic of Macedonia
• South Africa
• Western Samoa

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