FSIS Constituent Update - June 4, 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:

Belize

Costa Rica

Cuba

El Salvador

Guatemala

Indonesia

Mexico

Trinidad

Complete information

can be found at: http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/OFO/

export/explib.htm

Volume 5, Issue 22

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

June 4, 2004

Protecting the Public Health by Significantly Reducing Foodborne Hazards from Meat, Poultry and Egg Products

FSIS Constituent Update

Questions and Answers Now

Available for Updated

BSE Procedures

FSIS issued an updated notice, 28-04, outlining the protocol for sample collection

for cattle condemned during anti-mortem inspection for BSE by agency personnel.

These procedures supercede FSIS notice 18-03, dated May 27, 2003, which

expired on June 1.

As a follow-up FSIS issued notice 29-04 to address issues, regarding ante-mortem

condemned cattle. The following issues are addressed:

1. Expectations regarding the Animal and Plant Health Inspection (APHIS)

arrangements with establishments to test condemned cattle at a central

location;

2. Questions that the Public Health Veterinarians (PHV) should ask the

establishment management at the awareness meeting or at the on-going

weekly meeting, to understand the establishment’s identification and control

procedures better for dead cattle, non-ambulatory disabled cattle and

condemned ambulatory cattle;

3. Why FSIS notice 28-04 stated that FSIS would not collect brain samples

from cattle condemned on ante-mortem inspection that the establishment

elects to have treated pursuant to 9 CFR 309.13(b).;

4. A corrected form number for reimbursement associated with FSIS sample

collections (BSE Sampling Tracking Sheet);

(continued on page two)
FSIS Constituent Update -June 4, 2004 2 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

THIS

WEEK’S

HOT WEB

 LINKS

Regulations,

Directives and

Notices

http:www.fsis.usda.gov/

regulations_&_policies/

regulations_directives_&_notices

Food Safety

Educator

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/

News_&_Events

food_safety_educator/

Image and Video

Library

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/

News_&_Events/

Image_&_Video_Libraries/

5. Whether or not cattle have to be presented for ante-mortem

inspection in order to be subject to sample collection;

6. If the PHV is responsible for determining whether the sample is

of acceptable quality, (i.e., whether autolysis has not occurred),

before submitting a sample to the laboratory;

7. PHV and rabies vaccinations; and

8. A revised list of the laboratories where PHVs are to send samples.

The complete questions and answers are available on FSIS’ Web site,

www.fsis.usda.g ov/Frame/FrameRedirect.asp?main=http://

www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/29-04.htm

The complete notice, 28-04, regarding FSIS sample collection from cattle

condemned during antemortem inspection for the bovine spongiform

encephalophathy (BSE) surveillance program is available on FSIS’ Web

site, www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/28-04.pdf

Q & A for Updated

BSE Procedures con’t.

Upcoming Codex Meeting

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 Jamie Whitten

Building. This meeting will provide draft U.S. positions regarding items on

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:http://www.codexalimentarius.net/codex/codex27_en.htm

To Contact the Constituent Update Editor

Crystal Straughn crystal.straughn@fsis.usda.gov (202) 720-9113
FSIS Constituent Update - June 4, 2004 3 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

Featured

Office of

the Week

Strategic

Initiatives,

Partnerships and

Outreach

Upcoming E. coli O157:H7

Workshops

From May through September 2004, FSIS will hold 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 Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 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 workshops scheduled for June are as follows:

Date Meeting Location

June 5 Hotel Sofitel

8555 Beverly Boulevard

 Los Angeles, CA 90048

(310) 278-5444

June 12 Doubletree Hotel Coconut Grove

2649 South Bayshore Drive

Miami, Florida

(305) 858 – 2500

June 19 The St. Anthony

 300 East Travis

San Antonio, Texa

 (210) 227 – 4392

June 26 Renaissance Boulder Suites Hotel

 500 Flatiron Blvd.

Broomfield, CO

 (303) 464 - 8400

To pre-register for tomorrow’s workshop in Los Angeles 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 1 (866) 553-3052 or via the

FSIS Web site: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News/Meetings_&_Events/

The Strategic Initiatives

Partnerships and Outreach

(SIPO)Staff, part of the Office

of Public Affairs, Education

and Outreach, is dedicated

to ensuring FSIS’ strategic

vision guides agency

decisions while furthering

FSIS’ important food safety

and public health goals.

SIPO outreach efforts

include the widely attended

BSE workshops held across

the country earlier this year.

Following the success of

these workshops a new

series addressing E.coli

O157:H7 are being held

throughout the summer.

SIPO is determined to

strengthen Federal-State

partnerships and also

coordinates the work of the

National Advisory

Committee on Meat and

Poultry Inspection.
FSIS Constituent Update -June 4, 2004 4 Congressional & Public Affairs Office

June 5

Short North Gallery Hop

Columbus, Ohio

June 6

Columbus Zoo

Powell, Ohio

June 9

Elementary School

Bowie, Md.

June 11-13

Harborfest, Norfolk, Va.

The USDA

Food Safety

Mobile:

Taking Food

Safety

Education on

the Road

The USDA Food Safety

Mobile is a 35-foot,

recreational-style vehicle

covered with a bold, eyecatching design and

prominent food safety

messages, including the four

Fight BAC!® messages of

the Partnership for Food

Safety Education.

In order to improve the effectiveness of recalls, FSIS has developed and

issued revised Directive 8080.1, “Recall of Meat and Poultry Products.”

This directive, issued last week, will enhance the instructions and guidance

to agency personnel responsible for verifying the effectiveness of a recall.

To enhance speed and efficiency, the revised directive enables the collection

of product distribution information at the plant to begin prior to

microbiological testing results becoming final. The agency is also increasing

the number of effectiveness checks it carries out during Class I recalls, those

posing the greatest potential adverse health consequences, and in cases where

products have been distributed to at-risk populations. The revised directive

includes timeframes for reporting verification activities within FSIS and

includes provisions for locating products at point of sale and ensuring the

proper disposition of recalled product. For more information please visit:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/8000_SeriesCompliance_Evaluation_&_Enforcement/index.asp

Directive Issued: Recall of Meat

and Poultry Products

FSIS issued a notice advising inspection program personnel that the Food

and Drug Administration’s (FDA) discretionary enforcement guidelines

referenced in FSIS Notice 23-04 are no longer in effect as of June 6, 2004.

In addition, this notice provides instructions for inspection program

personnel to use when they suspect the use of implants in non-ruminating

calves.

Between April 5, 2004, to June 5, 2004, FDA determined that meat from

non-ruminating calves that had been implanted but from which the drug

had been withdrawn for 63 days was acceptable. FDA determined that meat

from these veal calves would not pose a risk to human health if there was

only short term consumption of the meat. This discretionary enforcement

period has ended. As a result, after June 5, 2004, each non-ruminating calf

presented for slaughter that bears an implant or bears evidence of implant

use is to be condemned because FSIS cannot determine that the carcass is

fit for food.

FDA has determined that implanted calves that have a functioning rumen

may be passed for food. For more information on this notice please visit:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/FSIS_Notices_Index.htm

Notice: Verification of Implant

Usage in Non-Ruminating

Calves