Food Safety and Inspection Service 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing a meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). The Committee is being convened to review two topics for FSIS. The first topic will address safe handling instructions included on food labels. FSIS is seeking input from the committee to fully explore enhancing the safe food handling label on meat and poultry packages. With this input, the Agency will consider whether or not the current safe handling instructions should be changed to meet the needs of the consuming public; FSIS is also seeking feedback from NACMPI on FSIS's Establishment-Specific Data Release Strategic Plan. The plan was developed from recommendations by the NACMPI committee in 2010. FSIS would like the committee to review the strategic plan and provide further suggestions.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, this notice announces the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) intention to request a revision of a currently approved information collection regarding the procedures for notifying the Agency about new technology because the OMB approval will expire on January 31, 2014, and because FSIS has revised its total annual burden estimate in light of the latest available data.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the meat and poultry products inspection regulations to expand the circumstances in which FSIS will generically approve the labels of meat and poultry products. The Agency also is consolidating the regulations that provide for the approval of labels for meat products and poultry products into a new Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part.

The Accredited Laboratory Program is the FSIS program in which non-Federal laboratories are accredited as eligible to perform analyses on official regulatory samples of raw or processed meat and poultry products, and through which a check sample program for quality assurance is conducted. The program is funded by user fees. The current fee regulation is due to expire at the end of the present fiscal year. In order to provide time to develop a proposed rule that will establish a formula for determining the fee, FSIS is extending the current laboratory accreditation fee.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request an extension of a previously approved information collection concerning industry responses to noncompliance records. There are no changes to the existing information collection.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing changes to its procedures for Salmonella verification sampling program of raw beef products. On the date that FSIS will announce in the Federal Register document that responds to any comments on this document, FSIS will discontinue Salmonella sampling set procedures (``HC01'') in ground beef products, except in establishments with results that exceeded the standard for Salmonella in that establishment's most recently completed sample set (i.e., in those establishments in Category 3). At the same time, FSIS will begin analyzing for Salmonella all raw beef samples that it collects for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) analysis. Therefore, FSIS will begin analyzing for Salmonella all samples of raw ground beef, beef manufacturing trimmings, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components that it collects for STEC testing. To be consistent with the Agency's STEC analytic sample portions, FSIS laboratories will increase the raw ground beef analytic sample portion for Salmonella analysis from 25 grams to 325 grams. This notice describes how FSIS intends to use the results from its verification sampling program to develop new Salmonella performance standards for ground beef product and to estimate Salmonella prevalence in raw ground beef and beef manufacturing trimmings products. Finally, this document discusses changes that the Agency is considering related to FSIS Salmonella sampling and testing of other products.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request revision of an information collection for the voluntary cooperative interstate shipment program because the Agency has more recent data concerning the program, and the information collection approval is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2013. FSIS is estimating fewer burden hours for this information collection than are currently approved because fewer States and State establishments are participating in the cooperative interstate shipment program than the Agency had originally estimated three years ago.

This notice informs the public of the sanitary and phytosanitary standard-setting activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), in accordance with section 491 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended, and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, Public Law 103-465, 108 Stat. 4809. This notice also provides a list of other standard-setting activities of Codex, including commodity standards, guidelines, codes of practice, and revised texts. This notice, which covers the time periods from June 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and June 1, 2013, to May 31, 2014, seeks comments on standards under consideration and recommendations for new standards.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to require the use of the descriptive designation ``mechanically tenderized'' on the labels of raw or partially cooked needle- or blade- tenderized beef products, including beef products injected with marinade or solution, unless such products are destined to be fully cooked at an official establishment. Beef products that have been needle- or- blade-tenderized are referred to as ``mechanically tenderized'' products. FSIS is proposing that the product name for such beef products include the descriptive designation ``mechanically tenderized'' and an accurate description of the beef component. By including this descriptive designation consumers will be informed that this product is non-intact. Non-intact products need to be fully cooked in order to be rendered free of pathogenic bacteria because bacteria may become translocated from the surface of the meat during mechanical tenderization. FSIS is also proposing that the print for all words in the descriptive designation as the product name appear in the same style, color, and size and on a single-color contrasting background. In addition, FSIS is proposing to require that labels of raw and partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef products destined for household consumers, hotels, restaurants, or similar institutions include validated cooking instructions that inform consumers that these products need to be cooked to a specified minimum internal temperature, and whether they need to be held at that minimum temperature for a specified time before consumption, i.e., dwell time or rest time, to ensure that they are fully cooked. Based on the scientific evidence that indicates that mechanically tenderized beef products need to be cooked more thoroughly than intact beef products, FSIS is proposing these amendments to the regulations. FSIS is also announcing that it has posted on its Web site guidance for developing validated cooking instructions for mechanically tenderized product. The recommendations in the guidance document are based on the results from published research designed to identify minimum internal temperature and time combinations sufficient to render a product and studies designed to validate cooking instructions.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of the final revision of the compliance guide for the prevention of violative residues in livestock slaughter establishments. In addition, this notice summarizes and responds to comments received on the guide and residue testing issues that FSIS raised previously in the Federal Register.

This notice is announcing that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings of the full Committee and subcommittees on June 4-6, 2013. The Committee will discuss: (1) Control strategies for reducing foodborne Norovirus infections, (2) Study of microbiological criteria as indicators of process control or insanitary conditions, and (3) Application of NACMCF recommendations to the Agricultural Marketing Service, Federal Ground Beef Purchase Program.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request a new information collection regarding the compilation of updated contact information for Accredited Laboratories.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sponsoring a public meeting on June 18, 2013. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be discussed at the Thirty-Sixth Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which will take place July 1-5, 2013 in Rome, Italy. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the session and to address items on the agenda.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request extension of an information collection for business registration requirements because the information collection approval is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2013.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of and requesting comments on a draft compliance guide for U.S. importers and brokers on the electronic filing of import inspection applications for certain meat, poultry, and egg products through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). ACE is the Web- based portal for the collection and use of international trade data maintained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). FSIS is also announcing a pilot program intended to test the transfer of data from the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set in ACE to FSIS's Web-based data analytics system, the Public Health Information System (PHIS). The PGA Message Set is the data that CBP will collect electronically from U.S. importers and brokers from PGAs. This data will enable agencies to make decisions about which products can come into the U.S. without the multiple paper forms currently used. FSIS encourages U.S. importers and brokers to review the draft compliance guide and, if they are interested, to request participation in FSIS's pilot program. The Agency will consider all comments submitted and will revise the draft compliance guide as necessary.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is extending the comment period for the December 6, 2012, Federal Register document ``HACCP Plan Reassessment for Not-Ready-to-Eat Comminuted Poultry Products and Related Agency Verification Procedures'' until April 20, 2013. FSIS will also provide an additional 45 days for establishments that produce not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted chicken or turkey products to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans for those products. FSIS will postpone by 45 days the date inspection personnel will begin verifying that those establishments have reassessed their HACCP plans. In addition, starting approximately on April 20, 2013, the Agency intends to begin obtaining samples to determine the prevalence of Salmonella in NRTE comminuted poultry product announced in the document. The Agency is taking these actions in response to a request made by a coalition of trade associations.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are sponsoring a public meeting on March 12, 2013. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 7th Session of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Moscow, Russian Federation, April 8-12, 2013. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 7th Session of the CCCF and to address items on the agenda.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to request a new information collection regarding the importation of undenatured inedible meat and egg products into the United States.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is describing the new methodology it is employing to conduct ongoing equivalence verifications of the regulatory systems of countries that export meat, poultry, or processed egg products to the United States. FSIS uses a three-part approach that includes: (1) Document reviews, (2) on-site system audits, and (3) port-of-entry (POE) reinspections. FSIS conducts document reviews at least yearly. FSIS conducts on-site system audits at least once every three years. FSIS determines the scope and frequency of on-site systems audits and POE reinspections through analysis of the results of its document reviews and an assessment of a country's performance. This performance-based approach allows FSIS to direct its resources to foreign food regulatory systems that pose greater risk to public health compared to others; make its international program more consistent with its domestic inspection system; and improve the linkage between POE reinspections and on-site audits. As a result, FSIS is able to effectively prevent unsafe imports from entering this country.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice is announcing the reestablishment of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). The Committee is being reestablished in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The establishment of the Committee was recommended by a 1985 report of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Food Protection, Subcommittee on Microbiological Criteria, ``An Evaluation of the Role of Microbiological Criteria for Foods.'' The current charter for the NACMCF is available for viewing on the NACMCF homepage at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/NACMCF/ index.asp.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on January 17, 2013. The objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that will be discussed at the 7th Session of the Ad Hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding (AFTF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Berne, Switzerland, February 4-8, 2013. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 7th Session of the AFTF and to address items on the agenda.