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FSIS to Host Two Day Public Health and Food Safety Summit
FSIS is committed to partnering with other food safety and public health communities in an effort to make critical
improvements in public health and food safety.
FSIS is co-sponsoring a two day summit with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the Food and Drug Administration titled: Better Communications, Better Public
Health Outcomes: Strategies for Improved Coordination During Foodborne Outbreaks, scheduled for May 15 and 16.
The meeting will be held at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand and Suites Hotel, 800 Washington Avenue, St. Louis,
Missouri.
The summit will include a public meeting and an invitation-only simulation exercise. The steering committee will include
representation from member organizations of the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), as well as other stakeholders.
CIFOR is a multidisciplinary working group whose mission is to increase collaboration across the country to reduce the burden of foodborne
illness in the United States. As a member, FSIS recognizes the excellent and important work already being done by CIFOR and plans to
continue active participation in future efforts.
More information about the summit, including the agenda, will be made available in future issues of the FSIS Constituent Update.
Also, be sure to check the "Meetings and Events" page of FSIS' Web site at
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Meetings_&_Events/index.asp for more updates.
FSIS to Hold Public Meeting on E. coli O157:H7 in Raw Beef
FSIS will hold a public meeting next week to discuss challenges and proposed solutions in moving forward to address recalls and
illnesses related to E. coli O157:H7.
The public meeting will be held on April 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on April 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Georgetown,
2101 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
The meeting will feature various presentations and panel discussions by FSIS officials, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
a senior foodborne illness litigation firm partner, representatives from industry and consumer groups, as well as a small plant owner and
operator from South Carolina.
Stakeholders will also be able to participate through audio conference. Directions to the site, phone-in information, agenda and other
meeting materials are available on FSIS' Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov.
Pre-registration for the meeting is encouraged. To register online, go to
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Meetings_&_Events/index.asp and
indicate whether you will be attending onsite at the Holiday Inn Georgetown or participating by phone.
Agency to Hold Regulatory Web Seminar
FSIS will host a regulatory Web seminar on April 16 as part of a continued effort for outreach to small and very plants.
This seminar will discuss methods that small and very small meat, poultry and processed egg product establishments can
implement to ensure effective sanitation, thus provide safer products for consumers.
The seminar will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. EST and from 6 to 7 p.m. EST.
To register by phone, call (800) 336-3747 or e-mail questions to
netmeetingseminars@fsis.usda.gov.
Register to Attend Regulatory Education Workshop in Missouri
In an effort to reach out to owners and operators of small and very small plants, FSIS will hold a regulatory education workshop in
Missouri on April 16.
The workshop will cover a variety of topics and prerequisite programs, including hazard analysis and critical control points,
sanitation performance standards, sanitation standard operating procedures, rules of practice, food defense strategies, E. coli O157:H7
workshops, and the following notices:
- 65-07, Notice of Reassessment for Escherichia coli O157:H7 Control and Completion of a Checklist for all Beef Operations;
- 66-07, Multiple Follow-Up Sampling After FSIS Positive Escherichia coli O157:H7 Results; and
- 68-07, Routine Sampling and Testing of Raw Ground Beef Components Other Than Trim and Imported Raw Ground Beef Components for Escherichia coli O157:H7.
The session will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 2 Convention Center Plaza, Saint Charles, Missouri.
To register by phone, call (800) 336-3747.
Online registration forms and information about upcoming sessions can be found at
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Outreach_Sessions_SVS_Plants/index.asp.
Pre-registration is encouraged, but not required.
FSIS and NSF International to Hold Food Safety Summit
FSIS and NSF International will hold a one day Food Safety Summit, on April 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the back of the USDA
South Building Cafeteria at 1400 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, D.C.
The purpose of the Summit is to provide a forum for medical, healthcare and public health professionals, as well as caregivers to
engage in a meaningful information exchange about strategies for sharing safe food handling information with at-risk patients to
reduce their risk of contracting a foodborne illness.
Foodborne illness is a preventable and underreported disease that represents a public health and economic challenge in the
United States. While it regularly strikes people in the general population, some, including pregnant women, young children,
older adults, and those with weakened immune systems, are at even greater risk.
Sharing food safety information with all populations and encouraging positive behavior modification during food preparation and
consumption is necessary to reduce exposure to pathogens known to cause foodborne illness.
The reduction of foodborne illness requires accurate diagnosis and timely reporting. It also requires public health intervention
along the entire farm-to-table continuum. Food safety education and behavioral modification is the critical intervention
at the table-end of this continuum.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following:
Complete information can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
Food safety experts are available year-round from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time to answer questions about safely preparing
and cooking foods. The Hotline is closed on Federal government holidays.
The toll-free number is 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854). Recorded messages are available 24 hours a day.
Don't Forget to Register!
FSIS offers regulatory education workshops on E. coli for owners and operators of small and very small plants in
California and Arkansas next week.
The April 8 session will be held at the Radisson Suites Hotel, 1211 East Garvey Street, Covina, Calif. The April 9 session will be
held at the Courtyard by Marriott Little Rock West, 10900 Financial Centre Park, Little Rock, Ark. The workshops will be held from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at each location.
To register by phone, please call (800) 336-3747. Online registration forms can be found at
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Outreach_Sessions_SVS_Plants/index.asp.
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Last Modified:
April 4, 2008 |
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