. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/USA/2339 
13 March 2012  
 (12-1398) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  All FSIS amenable products 
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:  Notice of Availability and Opportunity for Comments 
(Establishment Guidance for the Selection of  a Commercial or Private Microbiological 
Testing Laboratory)   Language(s):  English  Number of pages:  2 
 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Significant_Guidance/index.asp  
6. Description of content:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing the 
availability of policy guidance for federally inspected establishments in the selection of 
commercial and private microbiological testing laboratories.  FSIS has posted this policy 
guidance on its Web page:  "http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Polic ies/Compliance_Guides_Index/index.asp#
Micro ".  FSIS encourages establishments that prepare meat, poultry, or processed egg 
products to follow the criteria in the guidelines in selecting commercial or private 
microbiological testing laboratories and in de termining their capability to provide accurate 
and reliable results. Regulated establishments are required to enter into commerce food products that are safe and not adulterated or  misbranded.  Establishments that select 
laboratories that do not apply appropriate tes ting methods or maintain effective Quality 
Control or Quality Assurance (QC/QA) practices may not receive reliable or useful test 
results from the laboratory and run the risk of producing food that is unsafe. 
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/2339 
Page 2  
 
  8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  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, 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) :  N/A 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  N/A 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  N/A 
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification 
and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  7 March 2012 
Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Federal eRulemaking Portal:  This Website provides the ability to type short comments 
directly into the comment field on this Web page or attach a file for lengthier comments.  
Go to http://www.regulations.gov .  Follow the on-line instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.  
Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROMs, and hand- or courier-delivered items:  Send to 
Docket Clerk, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), FSIS, OPPD, RIMD, Docket Clearance Unit, Mail Stop 3782, Patriots Plaza III, 8-163A, 355 E Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-3221. 
Instructions:  All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the Agency name 
and docket number FSIS-2011-0033.  Comments recei ved in response to this docket will be 
made available for public inspection and post ed without change, including any personal 
information, to http://www.regulations.gov . 
13. Texts available from:  [ ] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   United States 
SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Fore ign 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.s psenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov.