USDA United States Food Safety Washington, D.C. 

Department of and Inspection 20250 


~ Agriculture Service


February 13, 2013 

Dear Plant Manager: 

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is ready to implement the industry 

functionality ofthe Public Health Information System (PHIS) to FSIS-inspected domestic 

establishments and official import inspection establishments. PHIS is a user-friendly, web-based 

application that replaces many of FSIS's existing systems, such as the Performance Based 

Inspection System (PBIS) and the Automated Import Information System (AilS). It integrates 

and automates our paper-based business processes into one comprehensive, data-driven 

inspection system. This part of the system will give industry the ability to respond to and view 

noncompliance records and to file appeals, as well as view, export to a PDF, and print reports of 

sampling results, noncompliance records (NR), and the establishment profile. 

lt should be noted that industry participation in PHIS is voluntary. If you choose not to 

participate, you will continue to receive paper NRs from your FSIS inspection personnel. The 

channels through which your establislunent communicates with the agency will not change. 

If your establishment elects to use PHIS, you will need to obtain a Level 2 USDA 

eAuthentication (eAuth) account to enroll and access the system. Steps for obtaining an eAuth 

account are provided below for your convenience. If you need assistance or have questions about 

eAuth, contact the USDA eAuth service desk at eAuthHelpDesk@ftc.usda.gov or 1-800-457­

3642. 

1. 	 Log onto www.eauth.egov.usda.gov, complete the on-line application for approval, and 

submit it. Within a few minutes, you will receive an e-mail message with instructions on 

how to proceed. 

2. 	 You are required to have a Licensed Registration Agent (LRA) verify your identity in 

person. You must do this before you can receive a password for your eAuth account. Go 

to the eAuth website at \vww.eauth.egov.usda.gov and click on "Find an LRA" at the top 

right corner of the screen. Then find an agent in your area using the map provided. 

3. 	 It is important that you maintain your eAuth password in a secure location, and that you 

not share it with others; it is unique to you as an individual. 

PHIS implementation for industry will begin on February 25, 2013, and will be conducted in 

phases through a web registration process. A start date has been designated for each FSIS district 

and official import inspection establislunents. Find the start date for the FSIS office associated 

with your establishment in the full schedule below. Please do not attempt to access the system 

before your start date, as you will not be able to do so and will receive an error message. 

FSIS Form 2630·9 (6/86) EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN EMPLOYMENT AND SERVICES 
• February 25, 2013- Alameda 

• March 4, 2013 - Atlanta 

• March 1 I, 20 13 - Chicago and Dallas 

• March 18, 2013 - Denver, Des Moines and all official import inspection establishments 

• March 25, 2013- Jackson and Philadelphia 

• April I, 2013 - Raleigh and Springdale 

Prior to your start date, and during one of your weekly meetings, FSIS inspection program 

personnel (IPP) will ask for the name and email of the individual being designated as your PHIS 

establishment administrator. Please note that the email addresses and spelling of your 

establishment administrators' name must match exactly to those provided to obtain the eAuth 

identification. To prevent any misspellings, it may be prudent to provide this information in 

writing. 

Your PHIS establishment administrator can enroll in PHIS at https:l/phis.fsis.usda.gov. Detailed 

instructions on how to enroll can be found in the "Establishment Management User Guide" 

available on FSIS' website at www.fsis.usda.gov/phis/. 

Each establishment can have up to three individuals designated as establishment administrators, 

and each establishment is responsible for managing its future user accounts, which includes 

approving enrollment requests and adding or removing roles as employees change or leave the 

establishment. All users vvill need their eAuth User ID and password for future access to PHIS. 

Please refer to the user guide for more details on industry roles and how PIDS works. 

When registering, the establishment administrator should enter information into the required 

fields (eAuth User ID, password and establishment number). Once that information is verified in 

the system, each establishment administrator will automatically be directed to the establishment 

page and can begin using PHIS. If the information does not match, an "Accept Industry Invite" 

option will not appear. Please verify that the email address and name given to IPP is the same as 

what was provided to obtain an eAuth Level 2 account. lf the IPP confirms that the information 

does in fact match, please contact the FSlS Service Desk. 

PHIS users with questions or issues may contact the FSlS Service Desk, open 24 hours, 7 days a 

week, by calling 1-800-4 73-9135. The Service Desk will be able to assist you with PHIS 

application problems such as basic functionality and access through your web browser. However, 

the Service Desk will not be able to resolve problems pertaining to connectivity or 

hardware/software configuration. If your establishment chooses to register for PI-llS, keep in 

mind that the system may be unavailable at times due to periodic maintenance. The Pl-IIS page 

on FSIS' website (www.fsis.usda.gov/PHlS/index.asp) will be updated regularly with 

information about system enhancements and any scheduled maintenance. 

We appreciate your cooperation as we work together to coll ect, process and analyze f'ood safety data 

to more effectively protect public health. 

Administrator