FSIS Constituent Update - June 10, 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:

Indonesia

Mexico

Trinidad

Complete information

can be found at:

www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/

export/explib.htm

Volume 5, Issue 23

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

June 10, 2004

Protecting the Public Health Through Food Safety

FSIS Constituent Update

“Equivalence – Ensuring the Flow of Safe Meat, Poultry and Egg Products

Across Country Borders,” with accompanying powerpoint presentation has

been added to FSIS’ Web site. The remarks were given by FSIS Deputy

Administrator Linda Swacina at the Mexico – U.S. Poultry Health and Trade

Symposium in Mexico City, Mexico on May 12, 2004.You can find this

presentation and others on FSIS’ Web site,

www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Speech_051204_Swacina/index.asp

New Speech Available on

FSIS Web Site

The President issued an Executive Order to close Federal offices and excuse

all Federal employees from duty for the scheduled workday on Friday, June

11, 2004, except those who, in the judgment of the head of the agency, cannot

be excused for reasons of national security, defense, or other essential public

business.

Inspection services will be provided to the many inspected establishments

who will be operating on the National Day of Mourning. Plants that operate

on this day will not be charged for their normal approved hours of operation

because this holiday is not one of the eleven holidays cited in 9 CFR 307.5(b)

or 381.38(b). Inspector premium pay, for normal approved hours of operation,

will be paid for by the Agency. Overtime in excess of the 8 hour shift would

be charged as reimbursable overtime.

National Day of Mourning

Operating Procedures Clarified
 FSIS Constituent Update -June 10, 2004 2 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

THIS

WEEK’S

HOT WEB

 LINKS

FSIS Biographies

www.fsis.usda.gov/

About_FSIS/

FSIS_Biographies

Food Safety

Educator

www.fsis.usda.gov/

About_FSIS/

index.asp

Risk Assessments

www.fsis.usda.gov/

Science/

Risk_Assessments/

index.asp

The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods

(NACMCF) Subcommittee on Microbiological Performance Standards for

Ground Chicken will hold public meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and

Thursday, June 15-17, 2004, from 8:30am – 5:00pm, at the Aerospace

Building, 901 “D” St., SW, Room 369, Washington, DC.

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.

NACMCF Subcommittee on

Criteria for Microbiological

Performance Standards for

Ground Chicken to Meet

The 27th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission will take place at

the International Conference Center in Geneva, Switzerland from June 28-

July 3, 2004. The U.S. Codex Office will hold a public meeting in preparation

for the session on Tuesday, June 15, 2004, in Room 107A of the Jamie

Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, Washington, D.C. This

meeting will provide draft U.S. positions on items of the provisional agenda

and opportunities for public comment.

Items on the agenda include procedural matters related to the Codex

Procedural Manual, preliminary and final adoption of Codex Standards

and related texts and program and budgetary matters. Other agenda items

include the Joint FAO/WHO Evaluation of Codex, the Trust Fund for

Enhanced Participation in Codex and the relations between Codex and

other International Organizations.

The agenda items and more information for the Geneva, Switzerland

meeting can be found at: www.codexalimentarius.net/codex/

codex27_en.htm

Reminder: Upcoming Codex

Meeting
FSIS Constituent Update - June 10, 2004 3 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Featured

Office of

the Week

Evaluation

&

Enforcement

Division

Upcoming E. coli O157:H7

Workshops

From May through September 2004, FSIS is holding a series of teaching

workshops around the nation 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 am to 2 pm. They will present the materials

in the directives to operators of small and very small federally-inspected plants,

state-inspected plants, federal and state inspection personnel, members of

academia and other interested parties. The three FSIS directives to be covered

during the sessions are: Directive 10,010.1 Revision 1, Microbiological Testing

Program and Other Verification Activities for Escherichia 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.

The following workshops are scheduled for June:

Date Meeting Location

June 12 Doubletree Hotel Coconut Grove

2649 South Bayshore Drive

Miami, FL

(305) 858 – 2500

June 19 The St. Anthony

 300 East Travis

San Antonio, TX

 (210) 227 – 4392

June 26 Renaissance Boulder Suites Hotel

 500 Flatiron Blvd.

Broomfield, CO

 (303) 464 - 8400

To pre-register for the workshop in Miami, Florida, 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/

The Evaluation &

Enforcement Division

(EED) takes the lead for

FSIS in initiating criminal,

civil and administrative

sanctions for violations of

FSIS laws and regulations.

Quarterly Enforcement

Reports summarize the

enforcement actions FSIS

has taken to ensure that

products that reach

consumers are safe,

wholesome and properly

labeled. For more

information please visit:

www.fsis.usda.g o v /

About_FSIS/OPEER/.

To Contact the Constituent Update Editor

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