Save the Date: NACMCF Public Meeting

The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will be holding a virtual public meeting on August 30, 2023, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET to discuss and vote to adopt the report on Cyclospora cayetanensis in produce. Written comments must be submitted by August 25, 2023. The committee will also provide an update on the Cronobacter spp. in powdered infant formula charge.

Attendees must pre-register by Friday, August 25, 2023, to receive details on how to access the meeting. During pre-registration, attendees may also express interest in delivering comments during the meeting. Oral comments will be limited to three minutes per speaker. FSIS will do its best to accommodate all registered persons who request to provide verbal comments. American Sign Language interpretation and closed captions will be available.

The Federal Register notice provides additional meeting details and directions for providing written comments. FSIS will finalize an agenda before the meeting date and post it on the FSIS Events & Meetings page.

More information on the NACMCF charges is available here.  

FSIS Posts Updated Quarterly Humane Handling Datasets

Today, the quarterly humane handling inspection datasets were updated on the FSIS website. The datasets include: (1) the number of administrative enforcement actions taken; (2) the number of humane handling verification tasks performed; (3) the number of humane handling verification tasks that resulted in a noncompliance record; and (4) the number of hours spent observing and verifying the humane treatment of livestock. This posting contains the most recent four quarters of data by district, HACCP size, and quarter.

FSIS Posts Quarterly Sampling Data

FSIS has updated the following quarterly sampling data sets:

Quarterly U.S. National Residue Sampling Report – Residue sampling data is available for the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2023. The report covers domestic (scheduled and inspector-generated) and import sampling programs.

Quarterly Sampling Results - The quarterly sampling data has been updated to include results through the third quarter of FY 2023. Quarterly, FSIS calculates prevalence, volume weighted percent positive, or percent positive calculations for microbial pathogens in FSIS regulated products that are currently sampled through existing sampling projects using the prior 12 months of sampling data. This posting includes sampling results for raw beef, raw pork, raw chicken, raw turkey, processed eggs, and ready-to-eat products.

Quarterly Sampling Reports on Antimicrobial Resistance Profile - This data release includes the sampling projects and pathogens reported under the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). It also includes the antimicrobial resistance data on pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, isolate counts and resistance profile by FSIS product and cecal categories, through the second quarter of FY 2023.

Quarterly Sampling Reports for Salmonella Serotype Information - This post includes quarterly Salmonella serotype data for Salmonella isolates collected from FSIS product categories. This release includes serotype data through second quarter of FY 2023.

Available for Public Comment

FSIS seeks public comments on proposed rules and notices, which are viewable on the FSIS Federal Register & Rulemaking webpage. FSIS is currently seeking comments on the following:

• Until August 11: Salmonella in Not-Ready-To-Eat Breaded Stuffed Chicken Products
• Until August 25: National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods 
• Until August 29: Notice of Request To Revise an Approved Information Collection: Accreditation of Laboratories, Transactions and Exemptions
• Until September 11: Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Qualitative Research on Food Safety Behaviors Among Parents and Caregivers Who Prepare Meals for Minors or Older Adults. In Depth Interview Research

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 Directive 4271.2 Rev 2 - Pre-Tax Parking Benefit Program for Non-Bargaining Unit Employees

Export Requirements Update

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

• New Zealand
• Ecuador
• Philippines
• Turkey
• Kiribati
• United Arab Emirates
• Qatar
• Solomon Islands
• Jordan
• Korea
• Kuwait
• Ukraine
• Kyrgyzstan
• Mexico
• Singapore
• Japan
• Canada

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