WORLD TRADE G/SPS/N/USA/71
28November 1996
ORGANIZATION
(96-5040)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
NOTIFICATION
1. Member toAgreement notifying: UNITED STATES
Ifapplicable, name oflocal government involved:
2. Agency responsible: Food andDrug Administration; andUSDA, Food Safety and
Inspection Service
3. Products covered (tariff item number(s) asspecified innational schedules deposited with
theWTO. ICSnumbers may beprovided inaddition, where applicable): Potentially
hazardous foods, including meat, poultry, eggsandeggproducts, fish,seafood, and
dairy products
4. Title andnumber ofpages ofthenotified document: Transportation andStorage
Requirements forPotentially Hazardous Foods (11pages)
5. Description ofcontent: TheFood Safety andInspection Service (FSIS) andtheFood
andDrug Administration (FDA) areseeking, through thisadvance notice ofproposed
rulemaking, information andcomments onapproaches thetwoAgencies might taketo
foster foodsafety improvements thatmaybeneeded inthetransportation andstorage of
potentially hazardous food. Potentially hazardous food, including meat, poultry, eggs
andeggproducts, fish,seafood, anddairy products, arethose thatarecapable of
supporting therapid multiplication ofmicroorganisms thatcause foodborne illness.
Thisnotice addresses hazards attributable tothetransportation andstorage of
potentially hazardous foods outside oftheestablishments where theyareprocessed.
FSIS andFDA arenowattempting todevelop better information onthenature and
scope offoodsafety riskposed bytransportation andstorage practices. TheAgencies
would like,among other things, todevelop reliable estimates ofthenumber ofcases of
foodborne illness thatareattributable totheabuse ofpotentially hazardous foodduring
transportation. Alsoneeded arebetter datatodetermine whether current estimates of
theannual number ofshipments ofpotentially hazardous foodareaccurate. FSIS and
FDA would liketoobtain information about whatcontrols arecurrently being usedto
ensure thesafety ofpotentially hazardous foodduring transportation, fortruck, rail
car,airplane orshiptransports. Additionally, theAgencies would liketoknow
whether there areanyspecial concerns relating totransportation ofimported products.
Thisnotice seeks comments andinformation onthevarious issues andalternatives for
ensuring thesafety ofpotentially hazardous foods during transportation andstorage.
6. Objective andrationale: Human health
./.G/SPS/N/USA/71
Page2
7. Aninternational standard, guideline orrecommendation does notexist [X].
Ifaninternational standard, guideline orrecommendation exists, whenever possible,
identify deviations:
8. Relevant documents andlanguage(s) inwhich these areavailable: 61FR59372,
22November 1996; 9CFR Parts 325and381and21CFR Part110; available in
English
9. Proposed date ofadoption: Tobedetermined.
10. Proposed date ofentry intoforce: Thedateofentry intoforce willbeannounced when
thefinalruleispublished intheFederal Register.
11. Final date forcomments: 20February 1997
Agency orauthority designated tohandle comments: Food andDrug Administration and
USDA, Food Safety andInspection Service
12. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X]oraddress, telefax number andE-mail
address (ifavailable) ofother body:
USDA/FAS/OFSTS
Attn: Carolyn F.Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
14thandIndependence
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel: (202) 7202239
Fax: (202) 6900677
E-mail address: wilsonc@fas.usda.gov