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

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) FSIS is amending 9 CFR parts 327 and 381 to bring the frequency with which foreign inspection systems are required to make supervisory visits to certified establishments into agreement with the frequency with which the Agency makes supervisory visits to domestic establishments. This final rule does not affect in-plant inspection requirements. FSIS is deleting the requirement that supervisory visits take place ``not less frequent[ly] than one such visit per month.'' Instead, FSIS will require foreign inspection systems to make ``periodic supervisory visits'' to certified establishments to ensure that establishments meet FSIS requirements for certification to export meat and poultry to the United States.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is reviewing the organization, operations, and services provided by its Technical Service Center (TSC) in Omaha, Nebraska, with the intent of improving TSC programs that provide technical advice, guidance, and information to FSIS personnel, the regulated industry, and the general public. FSIS is particularly interested in improving TSC programs that assist small businesses. FSIS seeks comment from the public as part of this effort to improve TSC operations.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of an updated risk assessment model and report for BSE. The previous risk assessment, released in October 2003, was revised to incorporate information available through December 2003, including the discovery of a BSE-infected cow in Washington State. The revised risk assessment model evaluates the impact of measures implemented after the discovery of the BSE-positive cow and recommendations made by an international BSE panel. FSIS will also hold a technical meeting to discuss the updated risk assessment model and report.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is requesting information on studies related to cross-contamination by bacterial foodborne pathogens of foods that are not likely to undergo cooking or additional cooking in food handling and preparation. Specifically, FSIS is interested in quantitative data obtained by observation of retail (commercial and institutional settings) and home food handlers. FSIS requests information on the types of food handling and preparation behaviors that could lead to the transfer of bacteria from products of animal origin to foods that are not likely to undergo cooking or additional cooking (e.g., salad components and ready-to-eat foods), as well as information on the frequency at which these behaviors occur. Information submitted in response to this Request for Information may be used in risk assessment modeling to estimate the public health impact of the presence of various bacterial foodborne pathogens in meat, poultry, and egg products.

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 an extension of a currently approved information collection regarding exportation, transportation, and importation of meat and poultry products.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sponsoring a public meeting on June 15, 2006. 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 29th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), that will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, July 3-7, 2006. The Under Secretary for Food Safety recognizes the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 29th Session of CAC and to address items on the agenda.

The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will hold a public meeting on May 23-24, 2006 to discuss issues related to building a more robust risk-based inspection system. Subcommittees will also meet on May 23, 2006, to discuss issues covered during the full committee session.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is publishing this document to inform establishments that prepare meat and poultry products of the need to ensure that they maintain proper control over the use of ingredients, especially those that present a potential public health concern, and over the ingredient labeling of their products. Establishments should ensure that their systems provide such control as part of their next reassessment of their HACCP systems. FSIS invites comments on the matters presented in this document.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2006, to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the Sixteenth Session of the Codex Committee on Residues in Veterinary Drugs in Foods, which will be held in Cancun, Mexico, May 8-12, 2006. The Under Secretary and CVM recognize the importance of providing interested parties with information about the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and to address items on the Agenda for the 16th Session of the Committee.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on May 9, 2006. 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 Twenty-seventh Session of the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, May 15-19, 2006. The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 27th Session of CCMAS and to address issues on the agenda.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing new dollar limitations on the amount of meat and meat food products and poultry products that a retail store can sell to hotels, restaurants, and similar institutions without disqualifying itself for exemption from Federal inspection requirements. By reason of FSIS' regulations, for calendar year 2006 the dollar limitation for meat and meat food products has been increased from $54,500 to $55,100 and for poultry products has been reduced from $45,800 to $45,200. FSIS is changing the dollar limitations from calendar year 2005 based on price changes for these products evidenced by the Consumer Price Index.

This document corrects the preamble to an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on February 8, 2006, amending the Federal meat inspection regulations to provide for a voluntary fee-for- service program under which official establishments that slaughter horses will be able to apply for and pay for ante-mortem inspection. This correction states that the FY 2006 Appropriations Act will be in effect until October 1, 2006 (the first day of FY 2007).

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) are sponsoring a public meeting on April 7, 2006 to provide draft U.S. positions and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the 34th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Ottawa, Canada on May 1-5, 2006. The Under Secretary and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to comment on the agenda items that will be discussed at this forthcoming Session of the CCFL.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing changes in how it uses the results from its Salmonella verification sampling program for meat and poultry establishments to enhance public health protection. The Agency is also changing how it reports these results. These actions follow an April 2003 FSIS Federal Register Notice asking for public comment on whether and how Agency policy could be improved. This Notice responds to the comments received and presents the Agency's views on the issues raised in the 2003 Notice. FSIS will begin adding results from individual Salmonella verification sample tests to reports the Agency regularly makes to meat and poultry establishments that have asked to be informed of various test results. These Salmonella sample results will be sent to establishments as soon as they become available. FSIS will begin posting quarterly nationwide data for Salmonella, presented by product class, on the Agency Web site. Moreover, the Agency will assess each completed Salmonella sample set in light of either existing regulatory standards or recently- published baseline study results, as appropriate. FSIS expects to take follow-up action, which may include scheduling of another sample set or assessing the design and execution of the food safety system, based on how a plant's performance compares to the existing regulatory standard or nationwide baseline results and to the presence of serotypes of Salmonella that are common causes of human illness. To further encourage industry process control efforts, the Agency is providing a new compliance guideline containing information that FSIS has found to be relevant to control of Salmonella, particularly for poultry. FSIS intends to monitor closely the percent positive in verification samples month-by-month over the course of a full calendar year, beginning in 2006. After one year FSIS will evaluate these data, reassess how it reports Salmonella results for each class of products, and consider making additional changes in how it reports and publishes results.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing that it will hold a public meeting on Salmonella Interventions in Poultry Slaughter and Processing on February 23 and February 24, 2006, in Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting will consist of presentations on research and practical experiences aimed at reducing the presence of Salmonella and other enteric microorganisms in poultry slaughter and processing.

The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring a public meeting on March 14, 2006. 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 Seventh Session of the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand, March 27-April 1, 2006. The Under Secretary for Food Safety, AMS and FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 7th Session of CCMMP and to address items on the agenda.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is changing the fees that it charges meat and poultry establishments, egg products plants, importers, and exporters for providing voluntary inspection, identification, and certification services; overtime and holiday inspection services; and laboratory services. The Agency is raising these fees to reflect, among other factors, national and locality pay increases for Federal employees and inflation. In the past, FSIS has amended its regulations on an annual basis. With this regulation, FSIS is providing for three annual fee increases. This will provide the meat, poultry, and egg industries with more timely cost information. The Agency is also increasing the annual fee for its Accredited Laboratory Program.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing that its regulations will continue to provide that individual meat and poultry products bearing the claim ``healthy'' (or any other derivative of the term ``health'') must contain no more than 480 milligrams (mg) of sodium; and that meal-type products bearing the claim ``healthy'' (or any other derivative of the term ``health'') must contain no more than 600 mg of sodium. FSIS is deferring indefinitely, until further notice, implementation of the requirements that individual meat and poultry products bearing the claim ``healthy'' (or any other derivative of the term ``health'') contain no more than 360 milligrams (mg) of sodium and that meal-type products bearing the claim ``healthy'' (or any other derivative of the term ``health'') contain no more than 480 mg of sodium.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to add the People's Republic of China to the list of countries eligible to export processed poultry and poultry products to the United States. Reviews of the People's Republic of China's laws, regulations, and other materials show that its poultry processing system includes requirements equivalent to all provisions in the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) and its implementing regulations. FSIS is proposing to allow processed poultry products from the People's Republic of China to be imported into the United States only if they are processed in certified establishments in the People's Republic of China from poultry slaughtered in certified slaughter establishments in other countries eligible to export poultry to the United States. China is not currently eligible to export poultry products to the United States that include birds that were slaughtered in China's domestic establishments. Under this proposed rule, all poultry products exported from the People's Republic of China to the United States will be subject to reinspection at the U.S. ports-of- entry by FSIS inspectors as required by law.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a public health regulatory agency committed to ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged, is soliciting nominations for the Howard E. Bauman Award. The award was created to recognize one or more persons who have shown longstanding commitment, leadership, and service to improving food safety. The Agency is interested in receiving nominations of persons who have positively affected food safety and public health.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability on its Web site of information regarding new technologies for use in the production of meat, poultry, and egg products that the Agency has received and for which FSIS has written a ``No Objection'' letter. The Web site will include brief descriptions of the new technologies. The availability of this information should increase public and industry awareness of new technologies and foster their use by small and very small plants.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is reminding all poultry slaughter establishments that, under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA) and Agency regulations, live poultry must be handled in a manner that is consistent with good commercial practices, which means they should be treated humanely. Although there is no specific federal humane handling and slaughter statute for poultry, under the PPIA, poultry products are more likely to be adulterated if, among other circumstances, they are produced from birds that have not been treated humanely, because such birds are more likely to be bruised or to die other than by slaughter.

This notice announces that the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) will hold public meetings of the full Committee and subcommittees on September 26-29, 2005. The Committee will discuss: (1) Consumer guidelines for the safe cooking of poultry products, (2) analytical utility of Campylobacter methodologies, and (3) determination of cooking parameters for safe seafood for consumers.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to amend the Federal poultry products inspection regulations to provide that turkey slaughter establishments that open turkey carcasses with Bar-type cuts may operate at the maximum line speeds established for J- type cuts, if the establishment uses the specific type of shackle described in this proposed rule. Under this proposed rule, as under current regulations, the inspector in charge will reduce line speeds when, in his or her judgment, the prescribed inspection procedure cannot be adequately performed within the time available because of the health conditions of a particular flock or because of other factors. Such factors include the manner in which birds are being presented to the inspector for inspection and the level of contamination among the birds on the line.