Tips for Label Approval Process

Labels are currently taking about 12-14 business days to evaluate. 

TIP: Submitting only the necessary supporting documentation with your label application will decrease the time it takes you to prepare and submit your label application as well as the time it takes the FSIS to evaluate the label.

Any documentation submitted with a label application must be evaluated by FSIS as part of the label approval process.  Establishments often include extraneous documentation with their label application resulting in unnecessary delays. For example, a label application for an “Organic Beef Burrito” product would not need to include a copy of the incoming label for each ingredient used to formulate the product to support that the product is certified Organic. A current Organic certificate would suffice as support for the organic claim for the entire product. Additional examples of unnecessary documentation are copies of an establishment’s Grant of Inspection and laboratory results of allergen testing on the finished product when the product does not contain those specific allergens.

If you are uncertain about what types of supporting documentation are needed to support a specific claim, you should submit a question through askFSIS. For access to askFSIS, please use the following link: https://askfsis.custhelp.com/.

FSIS will continue to provide updates regarding label turnaround time, as well as suggestions to assist industry to streamline label submissions in its Constituent Update.

Active Shooter Preparedness and Recovery Resources Designed for Businesses Available from DHS

September is National Preparedness Month and a good time to remind industry that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed a series of materials to assist businesses and organizations in preparing for and responding to an active shooter. These resources have been designed specifically for individuals with responsibility for human resources and physical security.

Among the offerings is a virtual training tool made up of the Active Shooter Emergency Action Plan Video, the Active Shooter Emergency Action Plan Guide, and the Active Shooter Emergency Action Plan Template designed to help develop an organization’s Active Shooter Emergency Action Plan.  This virtual training tool guides viewers through important considerations of Emergency Action Plan development utilizing the first-hand perspectives of active shooter survivors, first responder personnel, and other subject matter experts who share their unique insight.

A desk reference guide, a reference poster, and a pocket-size reference card are also available on the site in multiple languages. For more information on available active shooter preparedness resources that DHS provides, please visit https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/human-resources-or-security-professional..

Export Requirements Updates

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

• European Union
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Korea, Republic of
• Mexico
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• North Macedonia, Republic of
• Uruguay

Complete information can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/exporting-products

Policy Updates

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

FSIS Notice 29-19 - Restoration of Forfeited Annual Leave