. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/164
9 June 1999
(99-2322)
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:   Department of Agriculture , Food and Inspection Service
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable).
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Ready-
to-eat livestock and poultry products
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Listeria Monocytogenes
Contamination of Ready-to-Eat Products (3 pages)
5. Description of content:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is publishing this
document to inform manufacturers of ready-to-eat livestock and poultry products of the
Agency's views about the application of the hazard analysis and critical control point(HACCP) system regulations to contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.  FSIS believes
that the findings from testing a range of ready-to-eat products and information from
investigations of outbreaks of listeriosis constitute changes that could affect an
establishment's hazard analysis or alter the HACCP plan for affected products.  Therefore,
establishments must reassess their HACCP plans for ready-to-eat livestock and poultryproducts. If reassessment results in a determination that Listeria monocytogenes
contamination is a food safety hazard reasonably likely to occur in the establishment's
production process, then it is a type of microbiological contamination that must be addressed
in a HACCP plan.  In this document, FSIS is setting out several factors that it believes an
establishment should consider when performing its reassessment. Also, FSIS is makingguidance material available that establishments may find helpful.  FSIS invites comments onthe factors addressed in this document and on its guidance material.
6. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety  [   ] animal health [   ] plant protection
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease  [  ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests
7. An international standa rd, guideline or recommendati on does not exist [ X ].
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  64 FR 28351,
26 May 1999;  9 CFR Parts 416 and 417 (Available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Currently in placeG/SPS/N/USA/164
Page 2
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  FSIS urges that reassessment of HACCP plans be
performed within 30 days.
11. Final date for comments:   26 July 1999
Agency or authority designated to handle comme nts:  [  ] National notification authority,
[  ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of
other body:   Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
Detailed instruction on where and how to send commen ts is in the body of the full text – which
will be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 12.
12. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
USDA/FAS/FSTD
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 10271400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720 2239
Fax::  (202) 690 0677
E-mail address:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov