FSIS Publishes List of Issuances Slated for September

Source of Article: http://www.meatami.com/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/52809

Monday, August 24, 2009

(American Meat Institute)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) plans to release the following issuances during the month of September:

FSIS Directive 5000.5, Verification of Establishment Sanitation Procedures When Conducted Less than Daily: This directive provides instructions to FSIS inspection program personnel on how to verify compliance with the sanitation regulations in establishments that conduct complete sanitation less frequently than every day. It provides instructions to inspection program personnel for verifying the adequacy of establishments’ documentation associated with these sanitation procedures.

FSIS Directive 5100.4, Prioritized Scheduling of Food Safety Assessments: This directive provides the decision criteria that District Case Specialists (DCS) are to use in scheduling food safety assessments (FSAs). It includes background information on prioritizing FSAs, instructions on prioritized scheduling of FSA, an FSA Scheduling Priorities and Criteria Quick Reference Table and an attachment containing further information on prioritized scheduling of “for cause” FSAs.

FSIS Directive 5800.1, Data Coordination Committee (DCC): This directive outlines the roles and responsibilities of the DCC and its members with regard to program data collection, analysis and reporting. In addition, it provides a framework for the operation of the DCC and issue resolution.

FSIS Directive 6200.1, Enhanced Inspection of Poultry Related to a Notification of a HPAI Outbreak by FSIS: This directive provides inspection program personnel at poultry slaughter establishments the necessary enhanced inspection procedures for domestic poultry during an HPAI outbreak. FSIS and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 30, 2006, to coordinate a potential USDA effort to control and eradicate an outbreak of HPAI. Once issued, this directive would not be implemented unless there was an outbreak that required its use.

FSIS Notice, Manufacture of Animal Food or Uninspected Articles at Official Establishments: This notice provides instructions to inspection program personnel on the FSIS policy and the responsibility of official establishments that manufacture animal food or similar uninspected article in the edible product department.

FSIS Notice, Scheduling FSAs and IVTs: This notice cancels FSIS Notice 78-08, reissues the majority of the instructions found in that notice, updates existing instructions, and provides instructions for performing IVTs and FSAs in response to positive ready-to-eat (RTE) Salmonella results.

FSIS Notice, Ensuring Sample Integrity when Submitting Samples to the Laboratory for Residue Testing: This notice clarifies FSIS policy for inspection program personnel to ensure sample integrity when they prepare samples from carcasses suspected of having violative levels of chemical residues for submission to the laboratories. This notice also makes it clear that establishment employees are not authorized to collect FSIS samples, and that only inspection program personnel may collect FSIS samples.

FSIS Notice, Verification Of Establishments’ Response To Presumptive Positive Testing Results For RTE Meat And Poultry Products: This notice instructs inspection program personnel to review establishments testing results for RTE meat and poultry products to ensure that the appropriate action is taken when product tests presumptive positive for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).

FSIS Notice, Compositing of Environmental Samples Collected During Routine Risk-Based Listeria Monocytogenes (RLm) Sampling: This notice provides instructions to Enforcement, Investigations and Analysis officers (EIAOs) for collecting environmental (non-food contact) samples during RLm sampling and completing the sample request form (FSIS Form 10,210-3). This notice informs the EIAO that the product identification code for environmental samples has been changed from RLMENVR to RLMENVC. These samples will be composited at the laboratory.

FSIS Notice, Proper Use of Certification Statements on Egg Product Inspection and Grading Certificates: APHIS allows egg products plants to use a disease free certification statement on the FSIS Form PY-200 (Egg Products Inspection and Grading Certificate). This notice advises FSIS inspection program personnel that the APHIS certification statement on PY-200 is only to be placed on egg products that are to be exported.

Compliance Guidelines Use of Video/Digital Recording as Records in Federally Inspected Establishments: This document provides guidance to industry on implications of using electronic video or digital recording equipment for monitoring their operations and facilities for various purposes.

For more information, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/.

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