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Materials for Meat and Poultry Products |
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The following is
information from the FSIS Backgrounder issued May 1993. This
information is provided for historical purposes only. Phone
numbers, contact information, and other key information may
have changed.
Background
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) is required by law to inspect meat and poultry
products for safety and wholesomeness. FSIS inspectors working
in meat or poultry plants are authorized to prevent the use
of any packaging material that might lead to the adulteration
of the food product. If evidence suggest a packaging material
could pose a threat to the public health, FSIS can prohibit
its use in federally inspected meat and poultry plants.
In the past, FSIS has evaluated wrappers, containers, and other
packaging materials on a voluntary basis as a limited service
to manufactures and suppliers. After FSIS determined that a
material complied with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act (FFDCA) and federal regulations, manufactures were provided
"letters of acceptance," which they often distributed to meat
and poultry plants. There was a misperception that this evaluation
service was mandatory and created delays. The American Paper
Institute, the Paperboard Packaging Council, and the Fibre
Box Association petitioned FSIS to adopt a system that does
not require premarket review for packaging materials. FSIS
concluded that even though the petition may have been based
on a misperception, it was, for the most part, meritorious.
In a rule issued on January 19 and effective on July 17, 1984,
FSIS clarified that premarket assessment of packaging materials
was voluntary and instituted a simple procedure making plants
under federal inspection responsible for securing suppliers’
guaranties that packaging materials comply with federal food
laws and regulations. FSIS issued a final rule on September
21, 1992, to be effective October 21, 1992, with requirements
for packaging materials intended for use with irradiated poultry
products.
Guaranties Required
Plants under federal inspection must obtain written guaranties
stating that each material used in packaging meat or poultry
products in the plant complies with federal food laws and regulations.
The guaranty will be accepted by FSIS inspectors to establish
that the material can be legally used for packaging meat and
poultry products.
Responsibility for providing guaranties to met and poultry
plants rests with the firm whose trade or firm name appears
on the material as it is marketed to the plant.
Guaranties consistent with Food and Drug Administration’s regulations
- 21 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) 7.12 and 7.13 - are
acceptable. Guaranties must contain the following information:
- Statement that the material complies with the FFDCA and
all applicable food additive regulations;
- Brand name or code designation of the material;
- Name of the supplier;
- Conditions of use for the material, including temperature
and other pertinent limits; and
- Signature of an official of the supplier.
Meat and poultry plants must maintain a file containing guaranties
for all packaging materials in the plant. This file must be
open to FSIS officials at all times. All packaging materials
in the plant must be traceable to a guaranty in the file. Guaranties
may be limited to a specific shipment, in which case they would
be attached to the invoice or they may be general and continuing
guaranties. FSIS inspection personnel, however, retain the
authority to refuse a specific material that they determine
may cause adulteration of products.
FSIS Monitoring of Guaranties
To verify guaranties, FSIS randomly selects packaging materials
for review. Selection of a material for review does not imply
that a problem exists; therefore, materials may be used in
meat and poultry plants during the review process.
For its review, FSIS requests information such as a complete
listing of ingredients used in manufacturing the material.
Suppliers must respond within a specific time period (a minimum
of 30 days), but if they have difficulty in obtaining information,
they may request an extension. If the information is not submitted
to FSIS in the allotted time, they guaranty shall no longer
be effective, and approval to continue using the material may
be denied.
If FSIS determines a packaging material does not comply with
federal food laws and regulations, the material is disapproved
and its use in federally inspected meat and poultry plants
may be denied. After disapproval, the suppliers or representatives
of a meat or poultry plant may request a hearing before the
Administrator of FSIS. Approval to continue using the product
while the outcome of the hearing is pending will be denied
if FSIS determines the product could present a public health
hazard. A list of materials that have been disapproved for
use in federally inspected plants is issued to FSIS inspectors.
FSIS encourages questions from meat, poultry and packaging
industries on its procedures. Questions should be directed
to:
John M. Damaré, Chief
Compounds and Packaging Branch, PAD, RP
FSIS, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Bldg. 306, BARC-East
Beltsville, MD 20706
(301) 504-8566
Last Modified: October 17, 2007
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