FSIS - USDA



FSIS |United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

OPPED Regulatory Developments Communique’ | |

|September 2, 2005 |Volume 1, Number 16 |

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|In This Issue: | |

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|Issuances |Issuances |

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|FSIS Directive 5420 Food Defense |FSIS Directive 5420.1 Revision 2 |

|Verification Procedures |Homeland Security Threat condition Response-Food Defense Verification Procedures |

|FR Notice Request for New | |

|Information |On July 20, 2005, FSIS issued a revised version of the directive that details Food Defense Verification Procedures that |

|Public Meeting Salmonella in |inspection program personnel will follow when a threat condition yellow, orange, or red is declared by the Department of |

|Poultry |Homeland Security. |

|FSIS Directive 6030.1 Religious |This directive was reissued in its entirety to clarify how inspection program personnel are to document findings when they find |

|Exemption |a food defense breach or concern, and there is evidence of product adulteration. Specifically, the directive provides |

|FSIS Directive 5610.1 Consumer |instructions for the Inspector-In-Charge (IIC) to inquire whether an establishment has a food plan that is written, implemented,|

|Complaint Monitoring System |tested, assessed and maintained and addresses food defense concerns such as general security, slaughter and processing |

|FSIS Notice 50-05 Incident |security, and storage security. |

|Investigation Teams | |

|FR Notice 05-024N HACCP | |

|Review | |

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|Organizational Activities |Federal Register Notice Docket No. 05-019N |

|Dr.Masters Administrator |Notice of Request for a New Information Collection |

|Bryce Quick Deputy Administrator |(Voluntary Recalls of Meat and Poultry Products) |

|Dr. Mann Deputy Under Secretary | |

|New Technology Speech |On August 2, 2005, FSIS issued a notice in the Federal Register on the Agency’s intention to collect information regarding the |

|Diversity Conference |voluntary recalls from commerce of meat and poultry products. The question of how much product was received by a retail |

|MSG Meeting |consignee has been a matter of controversy in recalls. Sometimes the Agency is not able to obtain this information. Therefore,|

|Tips of the Week |FSIS is revising its Report of Recall effectiveness form to provide a space for an explanation of why the amount of product |

| |received by a retail consignee cannot be determined. Comments are invited on: (a) whether the proposed collection of information|

| |is necessary, when this information is not available; (b) the accuracy of FSIS’ estimate of the burden of the proposed |

| |collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality |

| |utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection on those who are |

| |to respond. |

| |For more information contact John O’Connell. |

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| |Federal Register Notice Docket No. 05-027 |

| |Public Meeting on Advances in the Pre-Harvest Reduction of Salmonella in Poultry |

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| |Patty Bennet of the TAS staff attended the meeting and wrote the following summary. |

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| |A public meeting on “Advances in Pre-Harvest Reduction of Salmonella in Poultry” was held August 25-26, 2005 in Athens, Georgia.|

| |The meeting included presentations on research as well as practical experiences aimed at reducing Salmonella at the poultry |

| |production level before poultry reaches federally inspected plants. There were three goals for this meeting: determine the |

| |adequacy of available interventions, identify promising new interventions and ways to implement them, and identify gaps in the |

| |overall process. Several of the presenters discussed food safety Best Management Practices (BMP) emphasizing the importance of |

| |good sanitation practices including rodent and moisture control as well as biosecurity measures. There were several lectures on|

| |the pros and cons of using Competitive Exclusion products, vaccinations, and bacteriocins as a means of augmenting what is being|

| |accomplished already through sanitation. Almost uniformly, presenters rejected the promise of a “magic bullet” and instead |

| |embraced multiple interventions as the most prudent and realistic means for reducing Salmonella at the production level. They |

| |encouraged continued focus on effective management practices coupled with updated policies and protocols for the use of |

| |vaccinations, Competitive Exclusion, bacteriocins, and bacteriophages, recognizing that some interventions are more effective |

| |than others at different levels of production, and that there is often a synergistic effect when several protocols are |

| |implemented throughout the system. |

| |This meeting was the first in a series of public meetings that FSIS intends to hold to discuss new approaches for strengthening |

| |food safety. An agenda is available on the FSIS website at . |

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| |FSIS Directive 6030.1 Revision 1 |

| |Religious Exemption for the Slaughter and Processing of Poultry |

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| |On August 8, 2005, FSIS issued a directive providing instructions to inspection program personnel for verifying that |

| |establishments are properly operating under a religious exemption for slaughter and handling of poultry. This directive |

| |announces the use of the new poultry exemption form (FSIS form 6030-1) which is a combination of the four previously used forms.|

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| |For more information contact Teresa Taylor. |

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| |FSIS Directive 5610.1 |

| |Procedures to Complement the Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) |

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| |On August 8, 2005, FSIS issued a directive that describes the purpose and activities of the Consumer Complaint Monitoring System|

| |(CCMS). The CCMS is an electronic database used by FSIS to record, triage, analyze, and track all consumer complaints reported |

| |to the Agency. The complaints that are tracked by the system include those reported to FSIS by a state local health department |

| |or another federal agency such as FNS, AMS or FDA. It also includes complaints that involve imported products that have been |

| |reinspected by FSIS at ports of entry. The FSIS Human Health Science Division of the Office of Public Health Science is |

| |responsible for the overall management of the CCMS program. For more information, contact Mary Poretta. |

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| |FSIS Notice 50-05 |

| |Availability of Specialized Methodologies for Incident Investigation Teams. |

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| |On August 10, 2005, FSIS issued a notice that announces the availability of the specialized methodology, Incident Investigation |

| |Team Methodology for Escherichia coli (E. coli) 0157:H7 in Beef Slaughter Establishments. This methodology will be used by |

| |incident investigation teams as instructed in FSIS Directive 6500.2, Incident Investigation Team Reviews. |

| |The specialized methodology is available on the FSIS web site at: http: fsis.regulations/Emergency Management |

| |Policies |

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| |Note in the Communique 7/1/04, number 5, FSIS Directive 6500.1 which established the Emergency Management Committee (EMC) whose |

| |responsibility it is to address emergency incidents such as grave or potentially grave threats to public health involving an |

| |FSIS-regulated product. At times, the EMC may need to form an Incident Investigation Team (IIT) to investigate and provide |

| |information regarding an emergency incident. |

| |IITs typically include persons who can conduct investigations, review microbial testing, analyze scientific data, examine |

| |epidemiological evidence and who are familiar with FSIS’s regulations and chain of command. |

| |The IIT conducts a review of the establishment that is being investigated and if appropriate uses the specialized methodologies |

| |for specific reviews that are available on the FSIS web page. After the review, the IIT writes a report that documents relevant|

| |findings and is then sent to the relevant Assistant Administrator and the Emergency Management Committee. |

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| |Federal Register Notice Docket No. 05-024N |

| |Notice of Section 610 Regulatory Flexibility Act review of the Pathogen Reduction Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)|

| |Systems Final Rule |

| |(Impact of HACCP Regulations on Small and very Small Plants) |

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| |On August 12, 2005, FSIS issued a Federal Register notice announcing that it is seeking public comments on the impact of the |

| |HACCP regulations on small and very small plants. FSIS is conducting a review of the regulations established by the Pathogen |

| |Reduction/HACCP final rule under section 610 of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. These provisions require all Federal agencies |

| |review existing regulations that have significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities to determine whether|

| |the impact can be minimized. |

| |All comments on this notice must be received on or before October 11, 2005. |

| |For more information contact Dr. Quita Bowman Blackwell. |

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| |Organizational Activities |

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| |Dr. Masters Appointed New FSIS Administrator |

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| |On August 1, 2005, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the appointment of Dr. Barbara Masters as the new FSIS |

| |Administrator. |

| |As a veterinarian with FSIS since 1989, Master has held a number of positions both in plants and headquarters. She has served |

| |as the acting administrator of FSIS since March 1, 2004. |

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| |Bryce Quick Named new FSIS Deputy Administrator |

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| |On September 1, 2005, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Raymond named Bryce Quick as FSIS’s Deputy Administrator. |

| |Quick joined FSIS in 2001 and most recently served as the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Public Affairs, education and|

| |Outreach. |

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| |Dr. Curt Mann Appointed as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety |

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| |On August 12, 2005, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the appointment of Dr. Curt Mann as the Deputy Under Secretary |

| |for Food Safety. Previously, Dr. Mann served with the White House Security Council as the Director of Agriculture and Water |

| |Security. Prior to his White House service, Mann was a special assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture where he focused on |

| |coordinating the Department’s role in Homeland Security. Mann has also practiced as a clinical veterinarian, served as a |

| |professional staff member in Congress on the House Committee on Agriculture, and as executive director of the Association of |

| |American Veterinary Medical Colleges. |

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| |New Technology Presentation at the Institute of Food Technology (IFT) |

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| |Patrick Burke gave a presentation about FSIS’s New Technology activities at the IFT annual meeting and Food Expo in New Orleans,|

| |LA., July 16-20. Burke’s speech provides |

| |information about FSIS’s definition of new technology and examples of new technologies |

| |that are submitted to the Agency for review. |

| |The attachment below contains the full speech. |

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| |7th Annual Diversity Conference |

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| |On August 16-18, 2005, the Agency held its seventh Annual Diversity Conference, the theme of which was “Hand in Hand with |

| |Diversity.” Forty four OPPED employees (ranging from GS-5 to the SES) attended the conference organized by the Civil Rights |

| |Division of the Office of Management. |

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| |The conference has grown better every year and is not simply about our EEO/CR rating element or some Departmental mandate. |

| |There was a broad array of workshop subjects offered which included topics like “Healthy Eating for Very Busy People.” “Enhance|

| |Your Career by Managing Your Performance,” “Building Trust,” “Disability Awareness,” and “New Frontier in EEO Law” to name |

| |just a few. There was time set aside for program areas to hold forums to foster open communication and direction of the |

| |program. |

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| |The conference demonstrated the Agency’s commitment to creating an organization that values, respects, accommodates, and makes |

| |use of the individual talents of each and every FSIS employee. The conference was well attended by folks from all parts of the |

| |Agency, including many from field locations. There was ample time for and encouragement of networking and learning more about |

| |our colleagues across the Agency and the country. If you have not been to the Annual Diversity Conference or have not attended |

| |in a number of years, make an effort to do so next year. You will find it a rewarding, learning experience. |

| |-5- |

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| |Monosodium Glutamate (MSG Meeting) |

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| |On August 17, LCPS and other representatives from the Agency met with officials from the Glutamate Association on the issue of |

| |MSG as a source of adverse reactions (food intolerance) in sensitive individuals. The focus of the discussion was FSIS Notice |

| |45-05, Verification of Activities related to an Establishment’s Controls for the use of Ingredients of Public Health Concern, |

| |which reminds inspectors of existing tasks related to verifying that establishments have considered the steps necessary to |

| |ensure that ingredients are controlled and declared on labeling. The notice lists examples of substances that have been |

| |reported to be potential sources of food sensitivity. It was The FSIS attendees explained that the focus of the notice is not |

| |to define substances that cause sensitivities; rather it cites examples of substances associated with recalls of products |

| |because of undeclared ingredients. |

| |Further, while there are credible research reports that dismiss assertions that MSG causes food sensitivities, nevertheless |

| |consumers have reported adverse reactions to consuming MSG. FSIS will include questions and answers to address this issue as a |

| |follow-up to FSIS notice 45-05. |

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| |Tips of the Week from LCPS |

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| |Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium chloride, magnesium and sulfur |

| |are major minerals |

| |Trace minerals are those required in the diet in amounts less than 100 mg |

| |Boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, |

| |Silicon, vanadium and zinc are trace minerals |

| |Fluorine, cobalt, and nickel are other trace minerals that may be necessary in |

| |the human diet |

| |Amino acids are organic acids, containing both amino group (NH2) and |

| |Acidic carboxyl group (COOH) |

| |This weekend, think about eating fewer calories, being more active and |

| |making wise food choices. |

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