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

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 revise the approved information collection regarding requirements for official establishments to notify FSIS of adulterated or misbranded product, prepare and maintain written recall procedures, and document certain HACCP plan reassessments. The approval for this information collection will expire on September 30, 2021. FSIS has decreased the burden estimate for this collection by 37,515 hours due to more recent, updated information. The public may comment on either the entire information collection or on one of its three parts.

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 April 22, 2021. The Committee will discuss and vote on adopting the following two reports: Microbiological testing by industry of ready-to-eat foods under FDA's jurisdiction for pathogens (or appropriate indicator organisms): Verification of prevention controls and The Use of Water in Animal Production, Slaughter and Processing.

We are reopening the comment period for our advance notice of proposed rulemaking on establishing regulations for the movement of certain animals modified or developed by genetic engineering. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.

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 renew an approved information collection regarding the labeling requirements for mechanically tenderized beef products. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on July 31, 2021.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of and requesting comment on a guideline for meat and poultry establishments interested in donating products to non-profit organizations. FSIS has received several questions from meat and poultry establishments and non-profit organizations on this subject and has decided to address the major concerns associated with donation in this guideline. FSIS encourages establishments to donate meat and poultry products to non-profit organizations, when possible, to reduce food loss and waste.

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 renewal of the approved information collection regarding the qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback on service delivery by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on June 30, 2021.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is establishing January 1, 2024, as the uniform compliance date for new meat and poultry product labeling regulations that will be issued between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022. 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 the 2021 rates it will charge meat and poultry establishments, egg products plants, and importers and exporters for providing voluntary, overtime, and holiday inspection and identification, certification, and laboratory services. Additionally, FSIS is announcing that there will be no changes to the fee FSIS assesses to exporters that choose to apply for export certificates electronically through the export component of the Agency's Public Health Information System. The 2021 basetime, overtime, holiday, and laboratory services rates will be applied on January 3, 2021.

Pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). There are 9 vacancies. Advisory Committee members serve a two-year term that may be renewed for two additional consecutive terms, at the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to amend its inspection regulations to expand the circumstances under which FSIS will generically approve the labels of meat, poultry, and egg products. FSIS is also proposing to cease evaluating generically approved labels submitted to FSIS for review.

Pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing a virtual meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). The committee is authorized under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The committee will convene virtually on September 24-25, 2020. The objective of the public meeting is for the Committee to review and advise about the steps FSIS should take to ensure better control of artisanal, shelf-stable ready- to-eat (RTE) fermented, salt-cured, or dried products that rely on multiple hurdles for lethality. NACMPI will also review and advise whether the Agency should continue not to test boxed beef primal and sub-primal products for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), if they are intended for intact cuts.

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 renewal of the approved information collection regarding the regulatory requirements for marking, labeling, and packaging of meat, poultry, and egg products. This collection covers the labeling approval process whereby establishments are to submit their labels to FSIS for approval and maintain related files. There are no changes to the information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on May 31, 2021.

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 a revision of the approved information collection for the accreditation of laboratories; transactions with official meat and poultry establishments, egg products processing plants, and other firms; and exemptions from requirements of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act. FSIS has reduced the burden estimate for this collection by 13 hours based on updated information. The approval for this information collection will expire on December 31, 2020.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing plans to expand its routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin- producing Escherichia coli (non-O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145) that are adulterants, in addition to the adulterant Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, to ground beef, bench trim, and raw ground beef components other than raw beef manufacturing trimmings (i.e., 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)(hereafter ``other raw ground beef components'') for samples collected at official establishments. STEC includes non-O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145, that are adulterants, and E. coli O157:H7. Currently, FSIS tests only its beef manufacturing trimmings samples for these six non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7; all other aforementioned raw beef products are presently tested for E. coli O157:H7 only. FSIS also intends to test 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. FSIS is requesting comments on the proposed sampling and testing of ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components. FSIS will announce the date it will implement the new testing in a subsequent Federal Register notice. Additionally, FSIS is responding to comments on the November 19, 2014, Federal Register notice titled ``Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Certain Raw Beef Products.'' FSIS is also making available its updated analysis of the estimated costs and benefits associated with the implementation of its non-O157 STEC testing on raw beef manufacturing trimmings and the costs and benefits associated with the expansion of its non-O157 STEC testing to ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components (https:// www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/c37a7129-639c-41fa-ab75-be6 dddcd1c44/ placeholder-link?MOD=AJPERES&useDefaultText=0&useDefaultDesc= 0).

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing to remove a provision from the Federal meat inspection regulations that requires the defibrination of livestock blood saved as an edible product. This proposed action would eliminate a regulatory requirement and its associated costs to industry without affecting food safety. Moreover, it would allow industry to fulfill a demand for non-defibrinated blood products.

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 renewal of the approved information collection regarding poultry slaughter inspection. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on September 30, 2020.

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 renewal of the approved information collection regarding State Meat and Poultry Programs. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on July 31, 2020.

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 renew the approved information collection regarding observational studies to inform the development of food safety communication products and an evaluation of public health education and communication activities. The approval for this information collection will expire on June 30, 2020. FSIS has reduced the total burden estimate for the renewal collection by 833 hours because FSIS plans to conclude its research in two years, after the renewal. The original burden estimate was for three years.

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 renewal of the approved information collection regarding Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs) and pathogen testing and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems requirements. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on May 31, 2020.

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 renewal of an approved information collection regarding the regulatory requirements associated with the production of meat from advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems. There are no changes to the existing information collection. The approval for this information collection will expire on May 31, 2020.

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 renew the charter for the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). 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.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the availability of an updated version of its guideline on documentation needed to support animal-raising claims made on meat or poultry product labeling. Official establishments submit this documentation to the Agency when they apply for approval of labels with animal raising claims. The updated guideline includes changes made in response to comments on the guideline posted in October 2016. This Federal Register notice also summarizes and responds to issues raised in petitions submitted to the Agency by animal welfare advocacy organizations.

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 conduct focus groups with consumers to provide information to inform consumer education outreach efforts related to disseminating information to consumers about recalls and outbreaks and the labeling of meat and poultry products. This is a new information collection with an estimated burden of 411 hours.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending its regulations to remove lists of foreign countries eligible to export meat, poultry, and egg products to the United States. FSIS will maintain a single list of eligible foreign countries on its website. The criteria FSIS uses to evaluate whether a foreign country is eligible to export meat, poultry, or egg products has not changed. This rule will allow FSIS to more efficiently and clearly communicate equivalence determinations by maintaining a single list of exporting countries on its website, rather than maintaining one list on the website and outdated lists in the codified regulations. In addition, the Agency is amending it regulations to remove references to the lists.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the Siluriformes fish inspection regulations to list Thailand as a country eligible to export Siluriformes fish and fish products to the United States. FSIS has reviewed Thailand's laws, regulations, and inspection system as implemented and has determined that Thailand's Siluriformes fish inspection system is equivalent to the system that the United States has established under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and its implementing regulations. Under this final rule, only raw Siluriformes fish and fish products produced in certified Thailand establishments are eligible for export to the United States. All such products are subject to re-inspection at U.S. points-of-entry by FSIS inspectors.