1. PURPOSE
   This notice provides instructions to Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA), Compliance and Investigations Division (CID) Investigators to notify retail firms that an updated guideline for controlling Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in retail delicatessens (deli) is available. This guideline provides recommendations for controlling Lm contamination in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products at retail delis.
2. BACKGROUND
   1. In June 2015, FSIS issued the Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in Retail Delicatessens, which was announced in the Federal Register (80 FR 33228).
   2. The guideline highlights recommendations that are based on the joint FSIS, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2013 Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens Interagency Risk Assessment. The assessment summarizes the risks posed by Lm from the consumption of RTE foods that are commonly prepared and sold in retail delis, and how these risks may be impacted by changes in practice.
   3. FSIS revised the previous version of the guideline in response to public comments, USDA-FSIS Retail Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) Focus Group Findings and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) recommendations. The revised guideline provides updated scientific recommendations to assist retailers in reducing the risk of Lm in retail deli products.
3. COMPLIANCE AND INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION (CID) INVESTIGATOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES
   1. While conducting routine surveillance activities at retail firms, CID Investigators are to make management aware (by providing a web link or printed copy) of this new guidance document. They are to inform retail firm operators of the following:
      1. The Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens is available on the FSIS website.
      2. The guideline provides small businesses with compliance assistance, although all meat and poultry retail firms may apply the recommendations in the guideline.
      3. A Deli Self-Assessment Tool is provided in Appendix A of the guidance for deli operators to help identify the best practices they are using and to assess the need to adopt others.
      4. The guideline can be used along with the FDA Food Code to help retailers ensure that meat and poultry products are not prepared under insanitary conditions in the retail deli area.
   2. CID Investigators are to be aware that this document is guidance and does not create new regulatory requirements. CID Investigators are to verify that RTE meat and poultry products in the deli area are handled under sanitary conditions and are not adulterated, following the instructions in FSIS Directive 8010.1, Methodology For Conducting In-Commerce Surveillance Activities.
4. QUESTIONS
   Refer questions regarding this notice to your supervisor or as needed to the Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) through askFSIS, or by telephone at 1-800-233-3935. When submitting a question, complete the ;web form and select General Inspection Policy as the Inquiry Type.

NOTE: Refer to FSIS Directive 5620.1, Using askFSIS, for additional information on submitting questions.