FSIS Constituent Update - August 27, 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:

Cayman Islands

Chile

Egypt

France

Malaysia

Mexico

Romania

Russia

Complete information is

currently available at:

www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/

export/explib.htm

Volume 5, Issue 32

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

 August 27, 2004

Protecting Public Health Through Food Safety

FSIS Constituent Update

New Technology Information

Now Available on FSIS’ Web Site

Brief summaries and descriptions of new technologies that FSIS has received

and reviewed for use in federally inspected plants are now available on its

Web site. The technologies listed are those which the agency has had “no

objection” to use in FSIS-inspected establishments.

New technologies have resulted in significant improvements in the safety of

meat and poultry in recent years. The Web site is part of FSIS’ continuing

effort to encourage further improvements and innovation in food safety

technology.

FSIS defines “new technology” as new or new applications of equipment,

substances, methods, processes or procedures affecting the slaughter of

livestock and poultry or processing of meat, poultry or egg products. Steam

vacuums, steam pasteurization and antimicrobials are all examples of advances

in food safety technology that have occurred in recent years.

Increased public and industry awareness of the new technologies now available

will allow plants additional options in improving the safety of meat, poultry and

egg products.

This new information resource is available at: www.fsis.usda.gov/

Regulations_&_Policies/New_Technology_Table/index.asp. To obtain

additional information about these listed technologies, contact the new

technology staff at FSIS.Technology@usda.gov.
 FSIS Constituent Update - August 27, 2004 2 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

THIS

WEEK’S

HOT WEB

 LINKS

New Technology

Cooperative

Agreement

www.fsis.usda.gov/

regulations

New_Technology_Agreements/

Chemistry

www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/

Data_Collection_&_Reports/

Associated

Agencies and

Partners

www.fsis.usda.gov/

about_fsis/

Associated_Agencies_&_Partners/

APHIS and FSIS Respond to OIG

BSE Surveillance Program

Report

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and FSIS released

a joint statement on August 24 responding to the report and

recommendations from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding

the enhanced BSE surveillance program.

The OIG report made 19 recommendations on specific program issues.

USDA agreed with the recommendations and had already implemented

several actions to address the recommendations in the report. In most

instances, while a specific action might have been noted, the recommendations

required routine monitoring or ongoing action. Processes have begun for

those ongoing activities that will be conducted throughout the program. Four

of the recommendations were more specific, and have been completely

addressed.

The BSE surveillance program is designed to obtain samples from targeted

cattle from the populations considered at highest risk for BSE. In a little

more than two months, APHIS sampled more than 42,600 high-risk cattle

with no positive test results.

In the statement, Administrator Ron DeHaven of APHIS and Acting

Administrator Barbara J. Masters of FSIS said, “We appreciate OIG’s

report on the early phases of our BSE enhanced surveillance program. We

are committed to ensuring that our BSE surveillance program yields accurate

and reliable information for the general public, for industry and for our trading

partners. Since the single case of BSE was found in Washington state last

December, we have worked hard to be transparent in our prevention,

surveillance and eradication efforts, with the objective of ensuring that we

have the benefit of expertise from around the country and the world. We

are committed to making changes wherever necessary to ensure the integrity

of our efforts.”

To view the entire statement and to learn more about BSE prevention efforts,

visit www.fsis.usda.gov/
FSIS Constituent Update - August 27, 2004 3 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Featured

Office of the

Week

National Advisory Committee

Seeking Membership Nominees

USDA is seeking nominees for membership on the National Advisory

Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).

Membership is drawn from a broad range of groups interested in food safety,

including producers, processors, exporters and importers of meat and poultry

products, as well as those in academia, consumer advocacy organizations

and federal and state governments.

Names of nominees and their typed curricula vitae, or resume, should be sent

to Dr. Barbara J. Masters, Acting Administrator, FSIS, USDA, Room 405-

Aerospace Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.

20250-3700. The application must be postmarked no later than September

5, 2004. Applications are also available online at: www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/

NACMPI/Nominations.htm.

The Evaluation and

Enforcement Division

Two Opportunities Remain to

Attend E. coli O157:H7

Workshops

The Evaluation and

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

visit:www.fsis.usda.gov/

About_FSIS/OPEER/

The final workshops on new directives designed to strengthen E. coli O157:H7

prevention procedures will be held August 28 and September 11 from 9 am

to 2 pm. They are designed for operators of small and very small federallyinspected plants, state-inspected plants, federal and state inspection personnel,

members of academia and other interested parties.

The remaining workshops are scheduled as follows:

August 28: Crown Plaza Philadelphia, 1800 Market Street, Philadelphia,

Pa. 19103, (215) 561-7500

September 11: The Ambassador hotel, 3100 I-40 West, Amarillo, Texas

79102, (806) 358-6161

To pre-register for the workshops, call (866) 553-3052 or visit:

www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events
 FSIS Constituent Update - August 27, 2004 4 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

The USDA Food

Safety Mobile:

Taking Food

Safety Education

on the Road

The USDA Food Safety Mobile

travels continuously throughout

the U.S. to educate consumers

about the risks associated with

mishandling food and steps they

can take to reduce their risk of

foodborne illness. The next

dates and locations are as

follows:

September 3-6, 2004

Hopkinton State Fair

Contoocook, N.H.

September 8, 2004

Elementary School

Sanbornton, N.H.

September 9, 2004

Shriner’ Hospital for Children

Springfield, Mass.

Upcoming Codex Meetings

September 10, 2004

Elementary School

Rutland, Mass.

Public Meeting on Processed Fruits and Vegetables

A public meeting will be held on August 31, 2004, to provide information

and receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the

22nd Session of the Codex Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables

(CCPFV) September 27 - October 1, 2004, in Alexandria, Va. The public

meeting will be co-sponsored by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service

and FSIS.

The public meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room 3501,

South Building, USDA 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C.

The agenda items to be discussed at the public meeting include: consideration

of Codex Draft Revised Standards for various processed fruit and vegetable

products and proposals for Amendments to the Priority List for

Standardization of Processed Fruits and Vegetables.

To submit comments or to receive copies of documents on the agenda,

contact the FSIS Docket Room, Docket #04-025N, USDA, FSIS, Room

102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-3700.

The documents and complete agenda are also available electronically at

www.codexalimentarius.net/.

Public Meeting on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses

A public meeting will be held on Thursday, September 9, 2004, to provide

information and receive comments on agenda items and draft U.S. positions

for the 26th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Committee on

Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) to be held

November 1-5, 2004, in Bonn, Germany.

Interested parties must pre-register and present a photo ID at the door. To

pre-register, send your name, organization, mailing address, phone number

and e-mail address to nancy.crane@cfsan.fda.gov by September 1. For

more information and to obtain meeeting douments, visit

www.codexalimentarius.net

To Contact the Constituent Update Editor

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