NACMCF to Hold Virtual Public Meetings

The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold four virtual meetings starting November 17, 2021, to discuss two new charges: enhancing Salmonella control in poultry products and Cyclospora cayetanensis contamination.

The schedule for the NACMCF meetings is the following:

• November 17, 2021, 9:00 a.m. ET: Plenary meeting
• November 17, 2021, 1:00 p.m. ET: Subcommittee meetings to discuss the charges
• November 18, 2021, 1:00 p.m. ET: Subcommittee meetings to discuss the charges
• November 19, 2021, 10:00 a.m. ET: Full committee meeting

Attendees must pre-register by November 12, 2021, to receive a unique attendee ID, meeting links, dial-in numbers, and access codes. During pre-registration, attendees may also express interest in delivering comments during the meeting. Individuals will have an opportunity to provide oral comments during the plenary meeting public comment periods, limited to three minutes per speaker. FSIS will do its best to accommodate all registered persons who request to provide oral comments.

The agenda for the NACMCF meeting is available here. More information on the charges is available here.

FSIS Posts Quarterly U.S. National Residue Sampling Report

The fourth quarter U.S. National Residue Sampling report is available for FY 2021. The report covers domestic (scheduled and inspector-generated) and import sampling programs.  Quarterly chemical residue reports are available here.

Graduate Food Safety Fellowship Available 

USDA’s Office of Food Safety (OFS) is continuing its Food Safety Fellowship program in partnership with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). This fellowship is a scientific research opportunity that will assist FSIS in its goal of building strong relationships with academia. The agency is committed to data-driven and science-based approaches to all aspects of our public health mission. This opportunity will provide a student with an understanding of the type of research that supports FSIS decision making to ensure the safety of the food supply.

Student applicants working toward a doctoral degree are encouraged to submit proposals that detail an area of research aligned with the agency’s Food Safety Research Priorities or identify an existing gap within FSIS’ data or research. The proposals should discuss how the candidate would conduct their research to address the gap. Once selected, the fellow will work with the guidance of a university mentor to develop a project supportive of FSIS priorities.

This is a one-year, part-time, paid fellowship position. The appointment will be served at the selected participant's location.  Eligible candidates must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. college, university, or technical institute, working towards a doctoral degree in food science, veterinary medicine, animal science, or a similar program.

Applications are due on November 8, 2021, by 3:00 p.m. Click here for more information on the application requirements and to apply.

Technical Correction: Effective Date for Egg Products Plants to Meet Liquid Egg Cooling Requirements

On October 29, 2020, FSIS published the Egg Products Inspection Regulations final rule that requires egg products plants to develop and implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs). FSIS intends to publish correcting amendments clarifying that egg products plants not electing to implement HACCP early are required to follow the time and temperature requirements until October 31, 2022, when HACCP becomes effective.

Technical Correction: Column Label in Quarterly Sampling Results 

FSIS has posted updated sampling results for FSIS-regulated products that includes a correction to the label on the “Type of Calculation” column.

For the Raw Pork (HC_PK_CUT01 and HC_PK_COM01) calculations in the “Apr1_2020-Mar31_2021” and “Jul1_2020-Jun30_2021” tabs, the column labeled “Type of Calculation” incorrectly specified the corresponding values as “Percent Positive” instead of “Prevalence”.

The new release features a revision to the “Type of Calculation” label on those tabs to correctly reflect “Prevalence.” Please note that none of the corresponding data values have changed; the correction applies only to the column label in the specified tabs.

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 data is posted every quarter on 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 49-21 - FY 2021 Quality Step Increase Instructions

FSIS Notice 50-21 - webTA Establishment Format Update

FSIS Notice 51-21 - Fiscal Year 2022 Pay Periods And Official Payday Dates

FSIS Notice 52-21 - Leave Bank Program 2021 Open Enrollment Period For The 2022 Leave Year

FSIS Notice 53-21 - Cancellation of FSIS Directives

Export Requirements Update

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

• Japan

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