| October 22, 2021 USDA Launches New Effort to Reduce Salmonella Illnesses Linked to Poultry On October 19, 2021, USDA announced that it is mobilizing a stronger and more comprehensive effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products. The agency is initiating several key activities to gather the data and information necessary to support future action and move closer to the national target of a 25% reduction in Salmonella illnesses. Despite consistent reductions in the occurrence of Salmonella in poultry products, more than 1 million consumer illnesses due to Salmonella occur annually and it's estimated that over 23% of those illnesses are due to consumption of chicken and turkey. FSIS intends to seek stakeholder feedback on specific Salmonella control and measurement strategies, including pilot projects in poultry slaughter and processing establishments. A key component of this approach is encouraging use of preharvest controls to reduce Salmonella contamination coming into the slaughterhouse. FSIS will use the data generated from these pilots to determine if a revised approach will result in a reduction of Salmonella illness in consumers. View the full press release here. FSIS will continue to share updates on this initiative as they develop. USDA Appoints New Members to Food Safety Advisory Committee On Oct. 19, 2021, USDA announced the appointment of 13 new members and 17 returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). NACMCF provides scientific advice to federal agencies to use in developing integrated food safety systems from farm to table and to ensure food safety in domestic and imported foods. Members of the committee are chosen based on their expertise in microbiology, risk assessment, epidemiology, public health, food science, and other relevant disciplines. One individual affiliated with a consumer group is included in the membership of the committee to serve in a representational capacity. The activities of NACMCF are carried out, in part, by subcommittees that are focused on specific areas being considered by the full committee. NACMCF has made important contributions to a broad range of critical food safety issues. The committee reports provide current information and scientific advice to federal food safety agencies and serve as a foundation for regulations and programs aimed at reducing foodborne disease and enhancing public health. Federal food safety agencies involved with NACMCF are FSIS, FDA, CDC, Department of Commerce National Marine Fisheries Service, and Department of Defense Veterinary Services. NACMCF will hold a public meeting of the full committee and subcommittees from November 17, 2021 to November 19, 2021. The committee will discuss the following two new charges: - Enhancing Salmonella control in poultry products
- Cyclospora cayetanensis
Please visit the FSIS website to see the full list of NACMCF members and for more details about NACMCF charges or to register to attend this meeting. USDA to Establish an Equity Commission; Solicits Nominations for Membership USDA announced it will establish an Equity Commission and is requesting nominations for membership on the Equity Commission Advisory Committee and Equity Commission Subcommittee on Agriculture. The notice represents an important step towards implementing President Biden's commitment to create an Equity Commission and the American Rescue Plan Act provision that directs USDA to address historical discrimination and disparities in the agriculture sector. The Equity Commission will deliver an interim report and provide actionable recommendations no later than 12 months after inception. A final report will be generated within a two-year timeframe. USDA is soliciting nominations to consider membership on both the Equity Commission and the Subcommittee on Agriculture. Both seek to reflect a diversity in demographics, regions of the country, background, and in experience and expertise. Nominations will be considered that are submitted via email or postmarked. The current deadline for nominations is October 27, 2021. The Department is actively finalizing a deadline extension. Details about the extension will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days. For more information on the commission and subcommittee and to learn how to submit nominations, please read the full press release and the Federal Register notice. National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection Meeting Materials Now Available On September 27-28, 2021, FSIS held a virtual public meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). The members of NACMPI prepared recommendations on how FSIS should clarify the agency's positions on the custom and retail exemptions to ensure that meat and poultry produced under the exemptions are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. The members also advised on actions FSIS should take to prevent and reduce illnesses associated with the handling or consumption of frozen, raw, stuffed, not ready-to-eat (NRTE) poultry products, which may be breaded and par-fried and may appear ready-to-eat (RTE) to consumers. The recommendations and transcripts of the meeting are available on the FSIS website. New HACCP Model for Raw, Non-Intact Turkey Now Available FSIS has released a Generic Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Model for Raw, Non-Intact Turkey. This model uses a ground turkey product to demonstrate hazard analysis and HACCP plan principles. While the model's critical control points (CCPs) do not necessarily apply to all operations or products, it may serve as a starting point for any ground poultry product. The flow diagram demonstrates a general production process and should be modified to reflect the processes used at the establishment. The food safety critical limits selected must come from scientific documents or other reliable sources. This model includes references for guidance on the selection of critical limits. As announced previously in the October 2, 2020 Constituent Update, FSIS updated its HACCP guide and multiple generic HACCP models. The agency has also developed a new Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOP) guide. The guides and the models are intended to assist establishments in meeting regulatory requirements to produce safe and wholesome products. The updated guides and models reflect changes in FSIS policy and lessons learned about implementing HACCP since its inception. The materials include updated scientific references and footnotes containing explanatory guidance and links to related sources of information. Consistent with the previous models, each model includes a product description, ingredients list, production flow diagram, hazard analysis and HACCP plan. The revised Guideline for the Preparation of HACCP Plans leads an establishment through the process of developing a HACCP plan according to seven principles and provides links to additional reference materials. Templates are provided in the guide so the establishment can capture the product-specific information as demonstrated in the guide. The contents of the models are not binding. The documents are intended only to provide clarity regarding regulatory requirements. Additional models will be posted as they are revised. The Generic HACCP Model for Raw, Non-Intact Turkey is available here. FSIS to Post Updated Quarterly Sampling Results On October 29, 2021, the sampling results for FSIS regulated products will be updated on the FSIS website. Quarterly, FSIS calculates prevalence, volume weighted percent positive, or percent positive calculations for microbial pathogens in FSIS regulated products that are currently sampled through existing sampling projects using the prior 12 months of sampling data. This posting includes percent positive results for Siluriformes in addition to sampling results for raw beef, raw pork, raw chicken, raw turkey, processed eggs, and ready-to-eat products. The sampling results will be available here. FSIS to Post Quarterly Sampling Reports for Salmonella Serotype Information On October 29, 2021, FSIS will post quarterly Salmonella serotype data for Salmonella isolates collected from FSIS product categories. This release includes the third quarter of FY2021 serotype data and is available on the Quarterly Sampling Reports on Salmonella web page. The next report update will include the fourth quarter of FY2021 serotype data and will be available in January 2022. In coordination with public health partners, FSIS transitioned to whole genome sequencing (WGS) and discontinued the use of PFGE for Salmonella, STEC and Campylobacter in 2019. Salmonella serotyping is a method for grouping different types of Salmonella based on the bacterium's surface structures. Previously, FSIS used a molecular serotyping assay to provide serotype. On January 1, 2020, FSIS updated its method to using WGS to provide Salmonella serotype. Comparing one quarter to another, or even one year to another, would be insufficient to draw meaningful conclusions. For this reason, aggregate information in these tables should be considered descriptive. FSIS to Post Updated Quarterly Sampling Reports on Antimicrobial Resistance Profile On October 29, 2021, the quarterly antimicrobial resistance data for FSIS product categories will be updated on the FSIS website. FSIS also will post antimicrobial resistance data for cecal samples. This data release includes the sampling projects and pathogens reported under the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). It also includes the antimicrobial resistance data on pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, isolate counts and resistance profile by FSIS product and cecal categories. Additionally, the release includes the third quarter of FY2021 antimicrobial resistance data and is available on the Microbiology web page under Antimicrobial Resistance. The next report update will include the fourth quarter of FY2021 antimicrobial resistance data and will be available in January 2022. Antimicrobial resistance is an extremely complex pathogen characteristic. Comparisons between one quarter and another, or even one year and another, would be insufficient to draw meaningful conclusions. For this reason, aggregate information in these tables should be considered descriptive. The NARMS is an interagency, collaborative partnership with state and local public health departments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This surveillance system tracks changes in antimicrobial susceptibility of select foodborne enteric bacteria found in ill people (CDC), retail meats (FDA), and food animals (USDA). The NARMS program at USDA FSIS focuses on two sampling points—samples collected from food products, and intestinal (cecal) content samples. The NARMS data helps to assess the nature and magnitude of antibiotic resistance in bacteria recovered at different points along the farm-to-fork continuum. Tips for Faster Label Approval Process Labels are currently taking about 6-7 business days to evaluate. TIP: Establishments correcting a label with a pressure sensitive sticker are not required to submit the label to FSIS for approval, provided the sticker does not bear any special statements or claims. Pressure sensitive stickers are commonly used as a means for establishments to cover inaccurate or misleading information on existing labeling material with corrected information, such as updating the company address on a label or modifying a handling statement. When the application of the pressure sensitive sticker brings a non-complaint label into compliance, submission of the label to FSIS for a temporary label approval is not required because the entire label, including the information on the pressure sensitive sticker, will be truthful, accurate, and not misleading. For example, applying a sticker to cover up a claim that is no longer truthful, such us covering up the claim "beef used raised without antibiotics" when the establishment is no longer using beef eligible to bear the claim, would not require temporary label approval because the sticker brings the label into compliance. Pressure sensitive stickers may also be used to add new information to labeling, such as adding the text, "New & Improved Formula," in a starburst or other promotional materials. Submission and FSIS approval of the label is required for the entire label only when pressure sensitive stickers contain new special statements or claims that FSIS has not approved (e.g., certified claims, organic and "all natural" claims or animal raising claims.) For example, an establishment applying a sticker with an organic claim to a product label that has not previously been approved by FSIS for an organic claim, must submit the label and sticker for approval. However, a pressure sensitive sticker applied to a meatball label qualifying the product name with "made with beef and pork" would not require FSIS approval, provided the statement was truthful because the statement is not considered a special statement or claim. NOTE: A pressure sensitive sticker must be the type that destroys the label or package if removed to ensure that the label remains truthful and not misleading. Additional information about pressure sensitive stickers. FSIS will continue to provide updates regarding label turnaround time, as well as suggestions to assist industry to streamline label submissions in its Constituent Update. Policy Update FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy updates were recently issued: FSIS Notice 46-21 - Updates to the Exotic Animals Eligible for Voluntary Inspection FSIS Notice 47-21 - Profile Updates in Domestic Egg Products Plants Implementing Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures or That Opt-In Early to Implement the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System Requirements FSIS Notice 48-21 - End of the Year Performance Management Instructions | 
No comments:
Post a Comment