Swine Time-Limited Trial Approval Chart To Be Added to the FSIS Website

To date, FSIS has received seven applications from New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS) establishments interested in participating in the time-limited trial. FSIS is consulting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the technical review of the applications. On Friday, March 4, FSIS granted approval to one NSIS establishment. 

The agency will be maintaining a chart of approved time-limited trial establishments on its website here. This chart will be updated each time an establishment is approved.

Additional information on the trial can be found in our November 12, 2021 issue of the Constituent Update.

On a related matter, based on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota decision, FSIS is developing a technical corrections regulation to remove the regulatory provision which is no longer in effect that allowed for unlimited inspection line speeds in the NSIS. 

FSIS Announces Revised Import Guidance

FSIS has updated its guidance for importing meat, poultry, and egg products into the United States. The revisions to the September 2020 guidance reflect the alignment of the egg products import regulations with those of meat and poultry, update askFSIS user instructions, remove outdated web links, clarify pre-stamping approval procedures, and make general clarifications to wording.  

FSIS intends for this guidance to help U.S. importers, customs brokers, official import inspection establishments, egg products plants, and other interested persons understand and comply with FSIS import requirements.

The revised guidance can be found here.

FSIS and FDA Exchanging WGS Information from Dual Jurisdiction Establishments

As of February 25, 2022, FSIS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Nutrition began sharing whole genome sequencing (WGS) information. This exchange of information will permit more efficient use of resources and will contribute to improved public health protection.

Results are being shared for all Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) isolates collected at dual jurisdiction establishments where the potential for Lm harborage in the environment has implications to both FSIS- and FDA-regulated products. Information from other pathogen testing programs (e.g., Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7) may also be shared if there are links to outbreak investigations.

By sharing this information on a routine basis, the agencies can better work together to inform sampling priorities and food safety actions. The information is being shared according to a Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies.

Reminder: FSIS Requesting Proposals to Collaborate on Two Risk Assessments

The FSIS Cooperative Agreement announcement requesting proposals to collaborate on two risk assessments—one for Salmonella in chicken and another for Salmonella in turkey—was posted on Grants.gov on March 2.  Proposals must be submitted to FSIS by April 15, 2022. 

FSIS plans to host a webinar to describe the announcement and answer questions; details on the date/time and how to register will be included in the March 11 Constituent Update.

FSIS and CDC Enhance Data Sharing

On March 2, 2022, FSIS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance data sharing and coordination of critically important public health activities.

The revised MOU expands the scope of the data sharing agreement to include all FSIS program offices and CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). It builds on existing efforts to increase collaboration and is expected to:

• Clarify information sharing between FSIS and NCEZID;
• Promote efficient use of interagency expertise, technologies, and tools to improve identification of contaminated food products;
• Strengthen interagency infrastructure and processes to investigate and prevent foodborne illness and protect public health;
• Expedite the transfer and interpretation of data with industry to protect public health; and
• Facilitate public reporting of microbiological characterization data.

The MOU can be found on the FSIS website.

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy updates were recently issued:

FSIS Notice 10-22 - Paid Parental Leave

FSIS Notice 11-22 - Mandatory Equal Employment Opportunity and Civil Rights Training for All FSIS Employees

Export Requirements Update

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

• Canada
• Taiwan
• European Union
• Turkey
• Kazakhstan
• New Caledonia
• North Macedonia
• Western Samoa (Samoa)
• Singapore
• United Kingdom
• Vietnam
• Mexico
• Colombia
• Chile

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