G/SPS/N/USA/2985  
 
1 March 2018  
(18-1311) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AME RICA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and 
Inspection Service (FSIS)  
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): Processed egg products  
4. Regions or co untries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Egg Products Inspection Regulations . Language(s): 
English.  Number of pages: 48 
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FSIS -2005-0015-0001 
https://members .wto.org/crnattachments/2018/SPS/USA/18_1132_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to 
amend the egg products inspection regulations by requiring official plants that process egg 
products (herein also referred to as "egg products plants'' or "plants'') to develop and 
implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems and Sanitation 
Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs) and to meet other sanitation 
requirements consistent  with the meat and poultry regulations. FSIS is proposing to 
eliminate those current regulatory provisions that are inconsistent with HACCP, Sanitation 
SOPs, and the proposed sanitation requirements. FSIS is also proposing to specify in the 
regulations tha t official plants are required to process egg products to be edible without 
additional preparation to achieve food safety.  
In addition, FSIS is proposing to: Provide for generic approval as part of the prior label 
approval system for egg products; make cha nges to labeling requirements for shell eggs 
consistent with those in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) regulations; require 
special handling instructions on egg products; eliminate the requirements for prior 
approval by FSIS of egg products plant  drawings, specifications, and equipment; 
incorporate egg products plants into the coverage of the "Rules of Practice'' that the 
Agency follows when initiating administrative enforcement actions; and change the 
Agency's interpretation of the requirement fo r continuous inspection in agency law.  
FSIS is also announcing that it is seeking public comment on draft guidance designed to 
help small and very small plants producing egg products to meet the new regulatory 
requirements being proposed in this rulemaking . Should the rule become final, FSIS 
intends to finalize this guidance.  G/SPS/N/USA/2985  
 
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  7. 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.  
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for A nimal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [  ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 13 June 2018  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if 
available) of other body:  
Victoria A. Levine, Program Analyst, Issuances Staff, Office of Policy and Program 
Development, Food Safety and Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Room 6079, South Agriculture Building, Washington, 
DC 20250 -3700; Tel: +(202) 720 5627; Fax: +(202) 690 0486.  
13. Text(s) available from: [  ] National Notification Authority, [  ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FSIS -2005-0015-0001