. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/647
25 October 2002
(02-5867)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):   Beef products
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:   All
trading partners
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  E.coli O157:H7
Contamination of Beef Products; Notice (10 pages).
6. Description of content:   The Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture is informing manufacturers of b eef products of the Agency's views about the
application of the hazard analysis and critic al control point (HACCP) system regulations to
contamination with Escherichia coli (E. coli)  O157:H7.  The availability of certain scientific
data on E. coli  O157:H7 constitutes a change that could affect an establishment's hazard
analysis or alter its HACCP plans for raw beef  products.  Establishments must reassess their
HACCP plans in light of this data to determine whether E. coli  O157:H7 contamination is a
hazard reasonably likely to occur in their pr oduction process.  Affirmative determinations
regarding the likelihood of E. coli O157:H7 food safety hazards in an establishment's
production process must be accompanied by correc tive modifications to that establishment's
HACCP plan.  This requirement applies to HA CCP plans for all raw beef products, including
ground beef, other non-intact beef products, a nd beef products.  USDA plans to follow up
this notification with new guidance regarding the control of E. coli  O157:H7 and will make
available the FSIS's draft comparative risk assessment of intact and non-intact (blade
tenderized) steaks.  USDA will also issue a revised E.coli  O157:H7 sampling and testing
directive.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or di sease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:G/SPS/N/USA/647
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available :  67 FR 62325,
7 October 2002 (available in English).    Accessible electronically at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/default.htm
10. Proposed date of adoption:   6 December 2002
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   6 December 2002 for large plants (all establishments
with 500 or more employees);  February 4, 2003 for small plants (all establishments with
10 or more but fewer than 500 employees);  and 7 April 2003 for very small plants (all
establishments with fewer than 10 employees or annual sales of less than $2.5 million).
12. Final date for comments:   6 December 2002
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  Food Safety and Inspection
Service, USDA [   ] National notification authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   Submit one
original and two copies of written comments  to FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket No. 00-022N,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safe ty and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton
Annex, 300 12th Street, S.W.,Washington, D.C.  20250-3700.
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  National enquiry
point,  or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Mr. Bill Janis
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Stop 1027
Washington, DC 20250
Tel:  (202) 720-9047Fax:  (202) 720-0677, fstsd@usda.gov .