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Veneman Names New Member to National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
On May 11, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced the appointment of Darin Detwiler to the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
"I am very pleased that Mr. Detwiler has agreed to serve on this committee," Veneman said. "He brings an important perspective to our meat and poultry advisory committee."
The Secretary of Agriculture appoints members to the advisory committee. Members serve two-year terms and no member may serve on NACMPI for more than three consecutive terms. Due to the resignation of a member appointed in March 2003, USDA sought a consumer representative to maintain a balance of representation among industry, state, academia, and consumer interests. Mr. Detwiler will serve out the remainder of the existing term, which ends in March 2005.
Mr. Detwiler, a decorated Gulf War veteran, heads the math and science department at Best High School in Kirkland, Washington. Mr. Detwiler and his wife, Vicki, endured a life-changing experience in 1993 when their 17-month-old son Riley died from E. coli O157:H7 after being exposed to the pathogen through an infected daycare classmate.
Mr. Detwiler incorporates food safety relevance into history and science lessons. He collaborated with the National Science Teacher's Association to develop a food safety education curriculum that met national science standards for schools.
The NACMPI was established in 1971 to provide advice and recommendations regarding meat and poultry inspection programs to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Residue Policy Response to Comments
In a notice issued last week, FSIS announced that it is harmonizing the policy underlying its testing and disposition procedures with that of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent meat with unsafe animal drug residues from entering the nation's food supply. This modification will allow FSIS and FDA to work together on testing marker residues from new animal drugs in target tissue of food producing animals. The target tissue is the edible tissue (liver, kidney, muscle, or fat) of an animal that breaks down the drug residue most slowly.
FSIS does not establish animal drug tolerances but is responsible for a food animal once it is presented for slaughter at an official federal establishment.
FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is primarily responsible for establishing and codifying tolerances for new animal drugs.
his notice is a follow-up to an August 6, 2001 Federal Register notice that announced FSIS's intent to harmonize its procedures with FDA's regarding target tissue and marker residue policy. For more information see:
Regulations, Directives & Notices.
FSIS Workshops on E. coli O157:H7 Regulations to Begin
From May through September 2004, FSIS will hold 11 instructive workshops
to discuss information in three recently revised and released FSIS directives
dealing with E. coli O157:H7. Directive 10,010.1, Revision 1 Microbiological
Testing Program and Other Verification Activities for Escherichia coli O157:H7
in Raw Ground Beef Products and Raw Ground Beef Components and Beef
Patty Components; Directive 6420.2 Verification of Procedures for
Controlling Fecal Material, Ingesta, and Milk in Slaughter Operations; and
Directive 5000.2 Review of Establishment Data by Inspection Program
Personnel will be among the topics discussed. The workshops are scheduled
on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will present the materials in the
directives to operators of small and very small federally inspected plants, state
inspected plants, federal and state inspection personnel, members of academia
and other interested parties. The first meeting will be held next weekend in Toledo, Ohio.
Date: Saturday, May 22: E. coli Workshop
- Registration - 8:30 AM
- Workshop - 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Meeting Location
Hilton Toledo
3100 Glendale Avenue
Toledo, Ohio
(419) 389-6800
To pre-register for the workshop in Toledo, call (202) 690 - 6520 or email renee.ellis@fsis.usda.gov
Future workshops will be held in the following cities. Workshop pre-registration information and specific meeting sites will be announced in upcoming issues of the Constituent Update.
The locations and dates of the E. coli O157:H7 workshops are:
- Los Angeles, California - June 5
- Miami, Florida - June 12
- San Antonio, Texas - June 19
- Boulder, Colorado - June 26
- New York, New York - July 10
- Sacramento, California - July 17
- St. Louis, Missouri - July 24
- Montgomery, Alabama - July 31
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - August 28
- Amarillo, Texas - September 11
Comments Requested on Codex Committee Document
The U.S. Delegate to the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems is requesting comments on CL 2004/6-FICS: Request for Comments on a Preliminary Set of Principles on Traceability/Product Tracing. To view the document, go to: https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081004070235/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Codex_cl_04_06e.pdf.
Send comments by June 11, 2004, to Catherine.Carnevale@cfsan.fda.gov
Reminder: Upcoming Codex Committee Meeting
On May 20, the Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Certification and Inspection (CCFICS) & ad hoc Biotech will hold a public meeting from 2 - 4 p.m. in Room 107A Whitten Building 1400 Independence Ave. S.W. Washington, D.C., to receive input into two Codex Circular letters. Comments received at the public meeting will be used to assist in the preparation of the U.S. Government's response to them. For more information see
Codex News & Comments Requested.
Deadline for FSIS Business Registration Approaching
The deadline for all applicable businesses to register with the Agency is May 24, 2004.
All business, unless a business operates under federal inspection, are required by law to register with the USDA if it deals in meat or poultry products in, or for, commerce. Since 1970, FSIS has required businesses affected by the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act to maintain business records and to make such records available to FSIS employees upon request. Registration information and business records are critical in any FSIS investigation related to public health, food safety or misbranding of meat or poultry products. This information is particularly vital in tracing the source of pathogens and in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses.
The new registration form asks registrants to provide certain information that was not previously requested, including an e-mail address, phone number and subsidiaries' hours of operation. All businesses, including those that are currently registered, must complete the new form and submit it to FSIS. The new registration FSIS Form 5020-1 Registration of Meat and Poultry Handlers is available at: https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081004070235/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/forms/
The form will also be available from FSIS personnel who visit businesses required to register.
Library of Export Requirement Updated
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for Canada,
Grenada, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico and Nicaragua. Complete information can be found at:
https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081004070235/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/Export_Information/
The USDA Food Safety Mobile
Taking Food Safety Education on the Road
The USDA Food Safety Mobile is a 35-foot, recreational-style vehicle covered with a bold, eye-catching design and prominent food safety messages, including the four Fight BAC!® messages of the Partnership for Food Safety Education.
The next stops for the Food Safety Mobile are:
- May 15: West Virginia University Graduation Weekend, Morgantown, WV
- May 17; Elementary School, Harpers Ferry, WV.
- May 18; Elementary School, Roanoke, WV
- May 19: Elementary School, Jane Lew, WV
- May 20-22: West Virginia Strawberry Festival, Buckhannon, WV
Featured Office of the Week: Compliance & Investigation Division
The Compliance and Investigation Division (CID) manages and directs investigations, case development, and
documentation of violations of inspection laws and regulations. CID consists of a Washington staff and six regional offices.
For more information go to: https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081004070235/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/OPEER/
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