Food Safety and Inspection Service 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FSIS is establishing January 1, 2026, as the uniform compliance date for new meat and poultry product labeling regulations that will be issued between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2024. FSIS periodically announces uniform compliance dates for new meat and poultry product labeling regulations to minimize the economic impact of label changes.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing that on February 1, 2023, the Agency will expand its routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli that are adulterants (non-O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145), in addition to the adulterant Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, to ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components in addition to raw beef manufacturing trimmings in official establishments. The raw ground beef components to be tested for these six non-O157 STEC, hereafter ``other raw ground beef components,'' are: head meat, cheek meat, weasand (esophagus) meat, product from advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems, partially defatted chopped beef and partially defatted beef fatty tissue, low temperature rendered lean finely textured beef, and heart meat. Currently, FSIS tests only its beef manufacturing trimmings samples for these six non- O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7. Otherwise, all other raw beef products are tested only for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. FSIS also will begin testing for these non-O157 STEC in ground beef samples that it collects at retail stores and in applicable samples it collects of imported raw beef products. Additionally, FSIS is responding to comments regarding the STEC testing expansion and the costs and benefits analysis (CBA), as well as its updated STEC laboratory testing criteria for determining whether a result is positive.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, FSIS is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection regarding specified risk materials in cattle. The approval for this information collection will expire on March 31, 2023. FSIS is making no changes to the information collection.

This notice is announcing that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold a public meeting of the full Committee on November 15, 2022. The Committee will discuss and vote on adopting the following report: Enhancing Salmonella Control in Poultry Products. An update on the Cyclospora cayetanensis charge will also be provided and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will issue an additional work charge on Cronobacter spp. in Powdered Infant Formula to the Committee.

FSIS is hosting a virtual public meeting to discuss a regulatory framework that the Agency is considering for a new strategy to control Salmonella in poultry products and more effectively reduce foodborne Salmonella infections linked to these products. The framework under consideration has been shaped by months of information-gathering and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, researchers, and scientists. FSIS is seeking input from stakeholders on this proposed framework, both at the public meeting and in written comments submitted in response to this Federal Register notice before FSIS moves forward with any proposed changes to the Agency's Salmonella strategy.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, FSIS is announcing its intention to renew the approved information collection regarding the voluntary cooperative interstate shipment program. The approval for this information collection will expire on February 28, 2023. FSIS is making no changes to the information collection.

FSIS is announcing that Lithuania is eligible to export egg products to the United States. FSIS has reviewed Lithuania's laws, regulations, and inspection system, as implemented, and has determined that Lithuania's egg products inspection system is equivalent to the food safety inspection system for egg products that the United States has established under the Egg Products Inspection Act (EPIA) and its implementing regulations. Therefore, egg products produced in certified Lithuanian establishments are eligible for export to the United States. All such products will be subject to reinspection at U.S. points-of- entry by FSIS inspectors.

FSIS is revising the regulations prescribing the statistical methods used in measuring the performance of chemistry laboratories in its voluntary Accredited Laboratory Program (ALP) and expanding the scope of accreditations offered by the program. Currently, participants in the ALP are accredited for the analysis of food chemistry (moisture, protein, fat, and salt), specific chemical residues, and classes of chemical residues. FSIS also is providing for the ALP to accredit non- Federal laboratories for microbiological indicator organisms and pathogen testing. FSIS is changing the statistical method the ALP uses to evaluate laboratory proficiency testing (PT). Additionally, FSIS is making various minor edits and changes to the regulation for the sake of clarity and to incorporate all sample types under the jurisdiction of FSIS.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes a new Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) system of records entitled: USDA/FSIS-0005, AssuranceNet (ANet). ANet is a Web-based system that collects information to support FSIS' mission through detecting vulnerabilities in food safety systems, processes, and functions so that the potential for harm can be promptly identified, reduced, and eliminated. The information stored in ANet is gathered from various electronic and paper-based sources, and is used to track, measure, and monitor activities and performance. The System also alerts FSIS' management officials to the performance of critical public health and food defense functions; assists in discerning trends; identifies and focuses on areas of high-risk; and helps to determine strategies to combat threats to food safety and food defense. Within ANet, FSIS maintains contact and other identifying information about Federal employees, State employees, contractors of USDA, government officials, and representatives who work at or are associated with the work at meat and poultry establishments and egg products plants.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to amend the poultry products inspection regulations to rescind several regulations related to the inspection and condemnation of poultry carcasses affected with any of the forms of avian leukosis complex.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) FSIS is announcing its intention to revise the approved information collection regarding the importation and transportation of meat, poultry, and egg products. The approval for this information collection will expire on July 31, 2022. FSIS is reducing the total burden estimate by 349 hours due to updated information.

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 revise the approved information collection regarding the importation of undenatured inedible product, and samples of imported product for laboratory examination, research, evaluative testing, or trade show exhibition. The approval for this information collection will expire on July 31, 2022. FSIS is reducing the total burden estimate by 14,441 hours because the number of applications for importing meat, poultry or egg products samples destined for laboratory examination, research, evaluative testing, or trade show exhibition has decreased.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, this notice is announcing the intention of the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reestablish the committee for the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and its charter. The purpose of NACMCF is to provide impartial, scientific advice and peer reviews to Federal food safety agencies for use in the development of an integrated national food safety systems approach that assures the safety of domestic, imported, and exported foods.