FSIS to Update PHIS

On August 24, 2020, FSIS will update the Public Health Information System (PHIS) to improve the function of the system. The updates will include corporate and establishment functions to help industry manage its users, as well as enhancements to the export application process for both the user interface (UI) and the machine to machine (M2M) technology. There will be improvements to the corporate and establishment administrator roles to expand industry user management, access to establishment information, and simplify first-time access to PHIS. Additionally, there will be improvements to the export application process. Applicants will be permitted access to more data fields for error correction, including the ability to correct or modify additional data fields after the FSIS review process has begun. However, this additional flexibility cannot substitute for effective industry internal controls. All updates will be published in the user guide(s) and the XML validation tool, which will be posted on the FSIS website by August 1, 2020. 

The following is a summary of the enhancements:

• Management and access functions: expanded access for corporate administrators; email notifications when there is no establishment administrator; menu item alerts when there are access requests for approval; expanded time given for activation codes (including foreign country login-certificate viewer role); and direct access to the users “Homepage” after new eAuth approval.
• Export application: country letterhead statements can be populated directly to the remarks section; additional editable fields up to the final approver (product details, exporter page, importer page, remarks section and remarks); spell check on most frequently omitted and/or misspelled data fields; exporter history tab; warning when more than one applicant is working on the same application; alerts when the application is under review by FSIS inspection personnel; and other alerts and warnings.
• UI and XML schema consistency: data fields required through the UI will also be available to enter in the M2M - XML schema.

To prepare for the updates, the industry test environment (ITE) will be closed July 24, 2020 through August 1, 2020 to deploy the updated features.

For questions related to the above enhancements, please email PHISTechnicalQA@usda.gov.

FSIS to Post Updated Public Health Regulations

FSIS uses a number of decision criteria described in Directive 5100.4 to prioritize establishments for Public Health Risk Evaluations (PHREs), including Public Health Regulation (PHR) noncompliance. FSIS has analyzed the most current data and is revising the current list of PHRs, including the thresholds used to prioritize establishments for PHREs and to alert inspection personnel of elevated PHR noncompliance levels. FSIS will post on its website the FY2021 PHR list and their corresponding thresholds on July 1, 2020. A detailed report on how FSIS determines PHRs and their thresholds will be posted later in July. The agency will implement this updated set of PHRs at the start of FY 2021. Archived PHRs are available on the FSIS Data Analysis and Reporting: Public Health Regulations FY 2020 web page.

At the meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) in January 2013, FSIS presented its plans to implement a food safety assessment (FSA) scheduling criterion called Public Health Regulations (PHRs). In June 2013, FSIS implemented the PHR criterion. FSIS periodically re-analyzes the PHRs as recommended in the 2013 NACMPI report.

FSIS Announces Retail Exemptions Adjusted Dollar Limitations

FSIS is announcing the dollar limitations on the amount of meat and meat food products and poultry and poultry products that a retail store can sell to hotels, restaurants, and similar institutions without disqualifying itself for exemption from federal inspection requirements. Because Siluriformes fish have been regulated, along with traditional meat products, under the Federal Meat Inspection Act since 2016, FSIS has included Siluriformes fish and fish products in its calculations for the retail dollar limitation for meat products in this announcement. For calendar year 2020, FSIS is increasing the dollar limitation on sales to hotels, restaurants, and similar institutions to $79,200 for meat and meat food products. The dollar limitation for poultry and poultry products remains unchanged at $56,600. FSIS is requesting comments on the inclusion of Siluriformes fish and fish products with meat products. The announcement can be found at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/06/29/2020-13913/retail-exemptions-adjusted-dollar-limitations.

Export Requirements Updates

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

• Barbados
• Chile 
• China, People’s Republic of
• Cuba 
• Dominica
• El Salvador
• Mexico 
• Tunisia 
• Uruguay