 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Register to Attend the 2008 Meat
and Poultry Inspection Seminars for International Government Officials
FSIS will host the last of three meat and poultry inspection seminars
for international officials in Virginia between September 8 and 26.
This three-week seminar will be held at the Ritz Carlton training facility
in Arlington and will provide information focusing on verification
and enforcement of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, pathogen
reduction and import/export policies.
The intention of these seminars is to familiarize international government
officials with inspection regulations and procedures used by FSIS to
assure that the nation's meat, poultry and processed egg products are
safe, wholesome and properly labeled.
Other topics and activities include foreign inspection program equivalence
as well as field trips to import/export locations as well as processing
and slaughter plants. For more information regarding these seminars,
visit FSIS' Web site at
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/2008_
Meat_&_Poultry_Inspection_Seminars/index.asp.
National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
to Hold Public Meetings
The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection will
hold a public meeting on August 27 and 28 to review and discuss international
equivalence relating to audits associated with equivalence criteria,
determinations of a country's status and the reinspection system for
imported product.
The committee will meet August 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and August
28 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the conference room at the south end
of the USDA South Building cafeteria, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.,
Washington, D.C.
A draft of the agenda is available online at
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_
Events/Agenda_NACMPI_082708/index.asp.
To pre-register, visit
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Reg_082708_Meeting/index.asp.
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.
For further information about the public meeting, contact Keith
Payne at (202) 690-6522 or send an email to
keith.payne@fsis.usda.gov.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes
in export requirements for the following:
- Belize
- Qatar
- Russia
- Ukraine
Complete information can be found at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp.
FSIS Updates E. coli O157:H7 Reports
FSIS has updated E. coli O157:H7 testing data to include
information through August 3, 2008. Test results from imported raw
beef products have now been added to both the Raw Ground Beef and
Raw Ground Beef Components tables. The addition of this data means
that all FSIS sampling programs for raw beef products are now
included in this weekly update.
| Results
from Analysis of Raw Ground Beef and Raw Ground Beef Component Samples for E. coli
O157:H7 |
| Raw Ground Beef |
| Source |
As of
August 5, 2007 |
As of
August 3, 2008 |
No.
Ana- lyzed |
No. Positive |
Percent Positive |
No.
Ana- lyzed
|
No. Positive |
Percent Positive |
Federal
Plants |
7,075 |
16 |
0.23 |
6,900 |
24 |
0.35 |
| Retail Stores |
110 |
0 |
0.00 |
256 |
0 |
0.00 |
| Imports |
59 |
0 |
0.00 |
36 |
1 |
2.78 |
| Raw Ground Beef Components |
| Source |
As of August 5, 2007 |
As of August 3, 2008 |
No.
Ana- lyzed |
No. Positive |
Percent Positive |
No.
Ana- lyzed
|
No. Positive |
Percent Positive |
Federal
Plants |
303 |
2 |
0.66 |
1,218 |
5 |
0.41 |
| Imports |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
326 |
0 |
0.00 |
FSIS began testing for E. coli O157:H7 in federally
inspected establishments and retail stores in October 1994 when
the Agency declared the pathogen to be an adulterant in raw
ground beef. Raw ground beef was targeted because of its strong
epidemiological link with E. coli O157:H7 infections, which can
cause serious life-threatening human illnesses like Hemorrhagic
Colitis and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.
In 1995, the first full year of sampling, 5,407 raw ground beef
samples were analyzed. Since then, the sampling program has
been expanded and improved. Since the start of the program,
over 100,000 samples have been analyzed by FSIS for the raw
ground beef sampling program.
Individual positive results for all 2008 Raw Ground Beef
sampling programs are reported on FSIS' Web site at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/
2008_Ecoli_Positive_Results/index.asp.
NACMCF Subcommittee on Parameters for Inoculated
Pack/Challenge Protocols to Meet
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for
Foods Subcommittee on Parameters for Inoculated Pack/Challenge
Study Protocols will hold public meetings August 18 through 20
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 901 D St. SW, Room 369 Aerospace
Building, Washington, D.C.
The purpose of these meetings is to continue discussions,
developing recommendations for appropriate criteria of
inoculated pack/challenge studies and determine if certain
foods require time/temperature control for food safety. The
discussions will include the appropriate uses of mathematical
growth and inactivation models.
A summary report of the subcommittee meeting will be posted on
FSIS' Web site
www.fsis.usda.gov/About_FSIS/
NACMCF_Subcommittee_Meetings/index.asp.
For more information, contact Advisory Committee Specialist
Karen Thomas-Sharp at (202) 690-6620. All persons wishing to
attend must RSVP in advance. To register, visit
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
reg_nacmcf_sub_081808/index.asp.
FSIS to Host Upcoming Regulatory Education Workshops
FSIS will hold regulatory education workshops for owners and
operators of small and very small plants.
The workshops 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 as well as E. coli O157:H7 related
workshops and notices. Upcoming workshops will be held:
- August 13 at the Holiday Inn Crabtree Valley, 4100 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.;
- August 14 at the Holiday Inn Boston at Beacon Hill, 5 Blossom Street, Boston, Massachusetts from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; and
- August 20 at the Sheraton Westport Plaza Towers, 900 Westport Plaza Drive, St. Louis, Missouri from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
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.
A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes
Did you know that a flood, fire, national disaster, or the loss of power from high winds, snow,
or ice could jeopardize the safety of your food? Knowing how to determine if food is safe and how
to keep food safe will help minimize the potential loss of food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
The guide titled, A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms and Hurricanes, provides
specific food safety recommendations on what to do before, during and after tropical storms and hurricanes.
The guidelines also include recommendations about what to do with food stored in refrigerators and freezers.
To view the consumer's guide, visit
www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/
Severe_Storms_and_Hurricanes_Guide.pdf.
|
|
Last Modified:
August 21, 2008 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
To view PDF files you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
