FSIS Constituent Update - July 16, 2004 1 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Export

Requirement

Updates

The Library of Export

Requirements has been

updated to reflect

changes in export

requirements for the

following countries:

Australia

Japan

Mexico

Philippines

Complete information

can be found at:

www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/

export/explib.htm

Volume 5, Issue 27

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

July 16, 2004

Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety

FSIS Constituent Update

FSIS Releases New Food Safety

and Public Health Initiatives

On July 14, Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elsa Murano released

“Fulfilling the Vision: Initiatives in Protecting Public Health,” a document that reviews

recent successes and builds on the course laid out last year to improve the

prediction and response to food safety challenges in order to further reduce

the incidence of foodborne illness.

In 2003, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman challenged the Food Safety

and Inspection Service (FSIS) to find creative and effective ways to continue

to improve the safety of U.S. meat, poultry and egg products to better protect

public health. FSIS, the public health agency of USDA, and its workforce of

over 7,600 inspection and veterinary personnel regulate the safety of these

products in approximately 6,000 plants nationwide.

Fulfilling the Vision presents a list of accomplishments for 2003, which included,

enhancement to BSE safeguards, the development of new FSIS employee

training programs, strengthened food security measures and modernization of

enforcement activities. The document also introduces a number of new

initiatives to continue FSIS’ mission of ensuring food safety.

In this document, FSIS has developed additional initiatives to continue in its

pursuit of improving food safety. These include developing innovative ways

to anticipate and predict food safety risks, considering risk in regulatory and

enforcement activities, supporting the development of a mathematical model

to estimate the illnesses caused by various food commodities and associate

program outcomes to public health surveillance data, and lastly, improving

food safety beyond our borders by harmonizing food safety education,

information, and communication.

The complete document, “Fulfilling the Vision: Initiatives in Protecting Public

Health,” can be found at http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
 FSIS Constituent Update -July 16, 2004 2 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

FSIS’ First Ever Teaching Web

Cast Reaches Hundreds

FSIS is constantly looking for ways to use available technology to further

the agency’s critical outreach efforts to industry and the general public. As

part of this effort, FSIS conducted its first ever instructional webcast from

New York City on July 10, during the sixth in a series of workshops on E.

coli O157:H7 directives.

Thanks to the webcast technology, not only were the 45 owners and

managers of small and very small meat processing facilities in attendance

able to participate, but also nearly 150 plant managers and employees across

the country were able to partake in the live meeting via webcast. Those

who participated in the webcast were able to watch the meeting in progress,

as well as ask questions in real time through their computers.Organizations

such as the National Meat Association and the Southwest Meat Association

assisted FSIS prior to the meeting by encouraging their members to log into

the webcast and participate.

FSIS continues its series of teaching workshops around the nation through

September 2004, for small and very small plants on new directives designed

to strengthen E. coli O157:H7 prevention procedures. The workshops are

scheduled on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The three directives to be

covered during the sessions are: Directive 10,010.1 Revision 1,

Microbiological Testing Program and Other Verification Activities for E.

coli O157:H7 in Raw Ground Beef Products and Raw Ground Beef

Components and Beef Patty Components; Directive 6420.0, Verification

of Procedures for Controlling Fecal Material, Ingesta and Milk in Slaughter

Operations; and Directive 5000.2, Review of Establishment Data by

Inspection Program Personnel.

To pre-register for this weekend’s workshop in Sacramento, Calif., please

call (202) 690-6520 or e-mail renee.ellis@fsis.usda.gov. You may also

register for this workshop and all future workshops by calling (866) 553-

3052 or via FSIS’ Web site: www.fsis.usda.gov/News/

Meetings_&_Events.

THIS

WEEK’S

HOT WEB

 LINKS

International Affairs

www.fsis.usda.gov/

Regulations_&_Policies/

International_Affairs/

index.asp

Agency History

www.fsis.usda.gov/

About_FSIS/

Agency_History

National Advisory

Committee on Meat

and Poultry

Inspection Reports

www.fsis.usda.gov/

regulations_&_policies/

National_Advisory_

Committee on Meat &_

Poultry/

Date Meeting Location

July 17 Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza

300 “J” Street

Sacramento, Calif.

(916) 446-0100
FSIS Constituent Update - July 16, 2004 3 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Zoonotic Diseases

& Residue

Surveillance

Division

To Contact the Constituent Update Editor

Crystal Straughn crystal.straughn@fsis.usda.gov (202) 720-9113

Featured

Office of the

Week

The FSIS Zoonotic Diseases &

Residue Surveillance Division

provides leadership in

identifying food safety

concerns associated with

transportation, marketing, and

the pre-slaughter preparation

of livestock and poultry by

monitoring and evaluating

public health hazards

(chemical, physical and

microbial) associated with

animal populations. The group

applies epidemiological and

hazard analysis principles that

promote public health by

helping to prevent, reduce,

control and test for hazards in

a HACCP-based environment.

FSIS issued a Federal Register notice (Docket No. 04-003N) on June 17, 2004,

requesting comments on the types of information it intends to post on its

Web site regarding new food safety technologies that meat and poultry

establishments may implement.

The posted information will focus on new technologies currently under review,

or that have already been reviewed, by the agency. Comments are specifically

sought regarding the value, potential costs and negative effects that this

information would have if made available to the public. The notice is available

at www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/04-003N.htm

All submissions must include the agency name and docket number (04-003N)

and be received by July 19, 2004. Comments may be submitted to: Docket

Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service,

300 12th Street, S.W.., Room 102 Cotton Annex, Washington, D.C. 20250 or

through the federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.

Reminder: FSIS Seeks

Comments on Upcoming New

Technology Web Site

NACMCF Subcommittee on

Scientific Criteria for Redefining

Pasteurization to Meet

The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods

(NACMCF) Subcommittee on Scientific Criteria for Redefining Pasteurization

will hold public meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 27 & 28, 2004

from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and on Thursday, August 29, 2004 from 8:30a.m.

- 12:00p.m., at the Aerospace Building, 901 “D” St., S.W., Room 369,

Washington, D.C.

If you would like to attend any of these meetings, please contact Karen

Thomas, Advisory Committee Specialist, at (202)-690-6620. Please note that

due to increased security measures at the Aerospace Center, all persons wishing

to attend must RSVP in advance.