Food Safety and
Inspection Service

1400 Independence
Avenue, SW.
Washington, D.C.
20250

USDA

United States Department of Agriculture

June 27, 2019

Via electronic mail only
Erin Thompson
Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20003

RE: FOIA-2019-00142
Commercial Practices

Dear Ms. Thompson:

This is the third interim response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to
the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) dated January 1, 2019, in which you requested copies of

records regarding Good Commercial Practices related to poultry slaughter,

from October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018. FSIS received your request in our Office
on January 28, 2019.

The FSIS FOIA staff works with subject matter experts across the Agency to locate
responsive documents. For this request, we conducted a record search in the Office of
Planning, Analysis and Risk Management. FSIS’ search began on February 8, 2019.
Our search includes responsive records in FSIS’ control on that date.

We have located 170 pages and an Excel spreadsheet that are responsive to your request.
After a thorough review, we have determined that portions of these pages fall within the
exemptions to the FOIA’s mandatory disclosure requirements, as explained below. In
particular, we have determined that portions of these documents are exempt from
disclosure under (b)(4) and (b)(6) of the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended.
Accordingly, this request is granted in part.

Some responsive records constitute confidential commercial or financial information,
which is exempt from disclosure under FOIA Exemption 4, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4).
Disclosure of this information may cause substantial competitive harm to the person
from which this information was obtained. Further, disclosure of this information would
impair the government’s ability to obtain necessary information in the future.

Portions of the responsive records are exempt from disclosure under FOIA Exemption 6,
5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6). Exemption 6 protects information that would constitute an
unwarranted invasion of an individual’s personal privacy. The types of information
withheld under Exemption 6 include the names, addresses, or cell phone numbers of
employees of Establishments and third parties, including, but not limited to interviewees
or customers.

‘You may appeal this determination within 90 days from the date of this letter. Your
appeal should include copies of your original request and this response, as well as a
discussion of the reasons supporting your appeal. The envelope should be plainly


Erin Thompson
Page 2

marked to indicate that it contains a FOIA appeal. If you decide to appeal this determination,
please send your appeal to:

Carmen Rottenberg

Administrator

Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 1170, South Building
Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

Also, be advised that your FOIA request, including your identity and the information made
available, is releasable to the public under any subsequent FOIA requests. However, FSIS does
not release your personal privacy information, such as home addresses, telephone numbers, or
Social Security Numbers, all of which are protected from disclosure under FOIA Exemption 6.

If you have any questions about the way this request was handled, please contact Ethan Pickrell at
202-260-8912 or via email at Ethan.Pickrell@usda.gov. If you have general questions about
FSIS’ FOIA procedures or regulations, please contact our FOIA Public Liaison, Arianne Perkins,
at 202-690-2760 or via email at Arianne.Perkins@usda.gov.

Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the
National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they
offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information
Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS, College
Park, Maryland 20740-6001, e-mail at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at 202-741-5770; or facsimile at
202-741-5769.

Thank you for your interest in FSIS programs and policies.

Sincerely,
Digitally signed by ARIANNE

ARIANNE PERKINS eerains

Date: 2019.06.27 17:48:54 -04'00'

Arianne M. Perkins

Director, Freedom of Information Act Staff
Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Education
Food Safety and Inspection Service

Attachment: Responsive Records (170 pages)
Excel Spreadsheet

Be Food Safe: CLEAN: Wash Hands and Surfaces Often SEPARATE: Separate Raw Meats from Other Foods
COOK: Cook To The Right Temperature CHILL: Refrigerate Food Promptly

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