G/SPS/N/USA/3180  
 
16 June 2020  
(20-4225) 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:  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):  Meat, meat products, and other animal produce  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Expansion of FSIS Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia 
coli (STEC) Testing to Additional Raw Beef Products . Language(s):  English . 
Number   of pages:  2 
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bb7894f6 -6f1a-45d8-be4f-
6881402860c0/2010 -0023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES  
6. Description of c ontent:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 
plans to expand its routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin - producing Escherichia 
coli (non -O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, or O145) that are adulterants, in 
addition to t he adulterant Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, to ground beef, bench trim, 
and raw ground beef components other than raw beef manufacturing trimmings (i.e., 
head meat, cheek meat, weasand (esophagus) meat, product from advanced meat 
recovery (AMR) syste ms, partially defatted chopped beef and partially defatted beef fatty 
tissue, low temperature rendered lean finely textured beef, and heart meat)(hereafter 
"other raw ground beef components'') for samples collected at official establishments.   
Currently, F SIS tests only its beef manufacturing trimmings samples for these six 
non-O157 STEC and E. coli O157:H7; all other aforementioned raw beef products are 
presently tested for E. coli O157:H7 only. FSIS also intends to test for these non -O157 
STEC in ground b eef samples that it collects at retail stores and in applicable samples it 
collects of imported raw beef products. FSIS is requesting comments on the proposed 
sampling and testing of ground beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components. 
FSIS will announce the date it will implement the new testing in a subsequent Federal 
Register notice.  
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.   G/SPS/N/USA/3180  
 
- 2 - 
 
  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 Animal 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, descr ibe, 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) : 3 August 2020  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if avai lable) of other body:   
FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice. Comments may be 
submitted by one of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website 
provides commenters the ability to type short comments directly in to the comment field 
on the web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments.  
Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ . Follow the on -line instructions at that site for 
submitting comments. Mail, includin g CD -ROMs, etc.: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250 - 3700. Hand - or Courier -
Delivered Submittals: Deliver to 1400 Independenc e Avenue SW, Room 6065, 
Washington, DC 20250 -3700. Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail 
must include the Agency name and docket number FSIS -2010-0023.  
Comments received in response to this docket will be made available for public in spection 
and posted without change, including any personal information, to 
http://www.regulations.gov/ . Docket: For access to background documents or comments 
received, call (202)720 -5627 to schedule a time to visit the FSIS Docket Room at 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250 -3700.  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [  ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bb7894f6 -6f1a-45d8-be4f-
6881402860c0/2010 -0023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES  
United States SPS Na tional Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 
International Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 
20250; Tel: +(1 202) 720 1301; Fax: +(1 202) 720 0433; E -mail: 
us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov