G/TBT/N/USA/829  
 
12 June 2013  
(13-3042)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) [846] 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :    
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Processes 
in the food industry (ICS 67.020), Meat, meat products and other animal produce (ICS 67.120)  Mechanically tenderized beef products. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Descriptive 
Designation for Needle- or Blade-Tenderized  (Mechanically Tenderized) Beef Products 
(16 pages, in English).     
6. Description of content:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to 
require the use of the descriptive designation "mechanically tenderized" on the labels of 
raw or partially cooked needle- or blade- tenderized beef products, including beef products injected with marinade or solution, unless such products are destined to be 
fully cooked at an official establishment. Beef products that have been needle- or- blade-
tenderized are referred to as "mechanically tenderized" products. FSIS is proposing that the product name for such beef products include the descriptive designation "mechanically tenderized" and an accurate description of the beef component. By 
including this descriptive designation consumer s will be informed that this product is 
non-intact. Non-intact products need to be fully cooked in order to be rendered free of pathogenic bacteria because bacteria may become translocated from the surface of the 
meat during mechanical tenderization. FSIS is also proposing that the print for all words 
in the descriptive designation as the product name appear in the same style, color, and size and on a single-color contrasting background. In addition, FSIS is proposing to 
require that labels of raw and partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef products 
destined for household consumers, hotels, restaurants, or similar institutions include validated cooking instructions that inform consumers that these products need to be 
cooked to a specified minimum internal temperature, and whether they need to be held 
at that minimum temperature for a specified ti me before consumption, i.e., dwell time or 
rest time, to ensure that they are fully cooked. 
Based on the scientific evidence that indicates that mechanically tenderized beef 
products need to be cooked more thorough ly than intact beef products, FSIS is 
proposing these amendments to the regulations.  
FSIS is also announcing that it has posted on its website guidance for developing 
validated cooking instructions for mechanically tenderized product. The G/TBT/N/USA/829 
 
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  recommendations in the guidance document are based on the results from published 
research designed to identify minimum in ternal temperature and time combinations 
sufficient to render a product and studies designed to validate cooking instructions. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer information 
8. Relevant documents:   78 Federal Register (FR) 34589, 10 June 2013; Title 9 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 317. Will appear in the Federal Register when adopted. 
FSIS Compliance Guideline for Validating Cooking Instructions for Mechanically Tenderized 
Beef Products (2013) -  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ PDF/Comp_Guide_MTB.pdf  
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    To be determined To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:  9 August 2013 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [  ], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresse s, if available of the other body:   
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2013-06-10/html /2013-13669.htm  
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR -2013-06-10/pd f/2013-13669.pdf