-USDA -
Export 
Requirements Update 
The Library of Export 
Requirements has been updated for the following countries: 
China, People’s Republic of 
French Polynesia Jordan New Caledonia Nicaragua Republic of Kiribati 
For a complete list of countries, 
visit https://www.fsis.usda. gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/ international-affairs/export ing-products. 
June 19, 2020 
In This Issue 
1 FSIS Extends Comment Period 
on STEC Testing Expansion 1 Export Requirements Update 2 Tips for Faster Label Approval Process 3 FSIS to Post Individual Category Status and Aggregate Results for Poultry Carcasses, Chicken Parts, and Comminuted Poultry Tested for Salmonella 3 FSIS Creates Food Safety Fellowship Program 4 FSIS Releases Strategic Assessment of Sampling Resources Evaluation 4 Policy Updates Food Safety and 
Inspection Service 
Volume 23 Number 37 
FSISConstituentUpdate United States Department of Agriculture 
FSIS Extends Comment Period on 
STEC Testing Expansion 
In June, FSIS announced it was seeking comments on the proposed expansion of its routine 
verifcation 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 samples of ground beef, bench trim, and raw ground beef components other than raw beef manufacturing, collected at offcial establishments (
https://www. 
fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bb7894f6-6f1a-45d8-be4f-6881402860c0/2010-0023. pdf?MOD=AJPERES, 85 FR 34397, June 4, 2020). 
FSIS received a request from an industry association for a 60-day extension of the comment 
period, citing the need to evaluate the proposal’s impact on the industry and the associated cost analysis, as well as the extra time needed for analyses owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the agency has decided to extend the comment period by an additional 30 days. This extension should provide interested members of the public with suffcient time to review the agency’s proposal and cost beneft analysis. The comment period will now end on September 3, 2020. 
Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking portal, 
available at http://www.regulations.gov; by mail sent to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, Washington, D.C., 20250-3700. All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the agency name and docket number FSIS-2010-0023. 
FSIS Constituent Update . June 19, 2020 . Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety and Food Defense 1    
                                  
 FSIS Constituent Update .June 19, 2020 . Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety and Food Defense 
Tips for Faster Label Approval 
Process 
Labels are currently taking about 5-7 business days to evaluate. 
TIP: As a reminder, if a label bears a claim about hormone use in swine relating to pork 
products, the label application (for new approvals) and label record (for existing approvals) must include adequate documentation to support the claim. 
Previous animal raising labeling claim guidance issued by FSIS stated that hormones were not approved 
for use in swine. Therefore, FSIS only approved “no hormone” claims on pork with a disclaimer statement such as, “Federal Regulations prohibit the use of hormones in pork. There are no hormones approved for use in swine by Federal Regulations.” However, because there are hormones approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in swine in the United States (e.g., during gestation), this disclaimer statement is no longer accurate. Thus, the updated 2019 Labeling Guideline on Documentation Needed to Substantiate Animal Raising Claims for Label Submissions explains that if establishments submit a pork label with a “no hormones” claim to FSIS, the agency will look for documentation to support the claim before approving the label. 
Additionally, disclaimer statements should no longer be included on labels with these claims. If 
establishments submit such labels with a disclaimer statement, FSIS will remove the disclaimer from the claim to approve the claim, provided the application contains adequate documentation to justify the claim. Examples of this type of claim include: Raised Without Added Hormones, No Added Hormones Administered, Raised Without Steroids, No Growth Promotants. 
Establishments with a prior approval from FSIS for this type of claim need to update their labeling 
records or make plans for removing the claim at next printing. Also, establishments do not need to resubmit their labels for approval to remove the disclaimer statement from pork and pork product labels. The change can be made generically under 9 CFR 412.1. Establishments should make the change at the next printing of the label or take steps to remove the disclaimer immediately. 
FSIS will continue to provide updates regarding label turnaround time, as well as suggestions to assist 
industry to streamline label submissions in its Constituent Update. FSIS Constituent Update is prepared by the Congressional and Public Affairs Staff, Offce of Public Affairs and Consumer Education 
Assistant Administrator 
Carol Blake 
Deputy Assistant 
Administrator Aaron Lavallee 
Director 
Roxanne Smith 
Editor 
Cody Kahlig 
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                                  FSIS Constituent Update .June 19, 2020 . Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety and Food Defense 
FSIS to Post Individual Category 
Status and Aggregate Results for 
Poultry Carcasses, Chicken Parts, 
and Comminuted Poultry Tested for 
Salmonella 
On June 22, 2020, FSIS will update the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard 
category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts and comminuted poultry products at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/salmonella-verifcation-testing-program/establishment-categories. 
Additionally, FSIS will post the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in 
categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing young chicken or turkey carcasses, raw chicken parts or not ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted poultry products at https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/ topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/salmonella-verifcation-testing-program/aggregate-data. 
FSIS Creates Food Safety Fellowship 
Program 
FSIS is establishing a Food Safety Fellowship program for graduate students at the agency.  This fellowship is a scientifc research opportunity that will assist FSIS in its goal of building strong relationships with academia. The agency is committed to data-driven and science-based approaches to all aspects of its public health mission. This opportunity will provide the student with an understanding of the type of research that supports FSIS decision making to ensure the safety of the food supply. 
FSIS has identifed several food safety research priorities that support its mission. Applicants are 
encouraged to identify a specifc research priority when applying and propose how they will address it. If selected, the participant will create a project that is supportive of FSIS research priorities with the guidance of a university mentor. 
This is a one-year, part-time, paid fellowship position. The appointment will be served at the selected 
participant’s location.  Candidates must be a student working towards a graduate degree in food science, veterinary medicine, animal science, or similar program, enrolled in an accredited U.S. college, university, or technical institute. This fellowship program is administered through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. 
Information on applying for the fellowship is available at https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/ 
Details/USDA-FSIS-2020-0134. 
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                                  FSIS Constituent Update .June 19, 2020 . Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety and Food Defense 
FSIS Releases Strategic Assessment 
of Sampling Resources Evaluation 
FSIS recently completed a Strategic Assessment of Sampling Resources (SASR) to maximize the 
effciency, effectiveness, and value of the agency’s sampling projects. Analysts developed a fve-phased framework with tools to assess each of the sampling projects and resulting data, guided by a fundamental premise that sampling only fulflls its purpose when the data it generates are used by the agency. The assessment resulted in nine major fndings with associated recommendations. These fndings can be broadly characterized as either process-related, or statistics-related. Examples of recommendations include an annual review of the inventory of sampling projects, adopting the weighted criteria from this report to evaluate the potential benefts of sampling projects, and the use of a tool to optimize the number of samples that should be collected and analyzed for sampling projects. 
FSIS is currently implementing the SASR recommendations, which will yield stronger, more effcient, 
and more effective sampling programs and a process to ensure the programs remain strong long into the future. For example, FSIS’ Sampling Coordination Committee has updated the process to initiate or change sampling projects to address the relevant SASR recommendations, and an internal workgroup is conducting an in-depth review of the value of sampling projects which ranked below a 0.3 beneft score. These actions illustrate the agency’s commitment to good governance and to ensuring that we are deploying our resources in as effective a manner as possible. 
A briefng memo and the report can be found at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/ 
connect/69b74e19-33aa-47ac-9507-5479229ea991/sasr-report.pdf?MOD=AJPERES. 
Policy Updates 
FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations. The following policy updates were recently issued: 
FSIS Notice 33-20 - Corrected Item Numbers For Face Shields 
FSIS Directive 5000.8 Rev. 1 - Verifying Compliance With Requirements For Written Recall Plan 
Procedures 
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