| June 10, 2022 FSIS Eliminates Deadline for Partial Refunds of OT and Holiday Inspection Fees for Small Plants FSIS has eliminated the deadline for small and very small plants to apply for a partial refund for overtime and holiday inspection fees paid since October 11, 2020. Eligible small and very small plants may apply if they have not done so already. The announcement was published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2022. The original submission deadline was March 11, 2022, as announced in the July 15, 2021, Federal Register notice. The June 9, 2022, notice nullifies that deadline so small and very small plants that qualify and submit the required form will be eligible for the partial refund. Small and very small establishments should submit their completed forms to the FSIS inspection personnel assigned to their establishment. Alternatively, establishments can email the completed form to the attention of the grant curator at the appropriate FSIS District Office. In the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted on March 11, 2021, Congress provided FSIS with $100 million in budget authority to reduce the costs of overtime inspection for small and very small official meat and poultry establishments and egg products plants. FSIS has implemented this provision by reducing overtime and holiday inspection fees for small establishments by 30 percent and very small establishments by 75 percent. FSIS to Discontinue Salmonella Sampling Program for Siluriformes FSIS is discontinuing its Salmonella sampling program for Siluriformes fish, effective July 13, 2022. FSIS routinely evaluates the effectiveness of agency sampling programs to ensure a program is meaningful in terms of public health protection and is based on the best available information. Given the low occurrence of Salmonella positives from FSIS sampling and the lack of recent outbreaks attributed to Siluriformes fish, FSIS concluded that Salmonella does not pose a significant health hazard in Siluriformes fish. In the December 2, 2015 Federal Register, FSIS published the final rule that established a mandatory inspection program for Siluriformes fish and fish products. The final rule implemented the provisions of the 2008 and 2014 Farm Bill that amended the Federal Meat Inspection Act to make Siluriformes an amenable species under FSIS jurisdiction. FSIS identified Salmonella as a hazard of concern and collected and analyzed samples of domestic and imported Siluriformes fish for Salmonella from May 2016 through September 2020 to establish a baseline. FSIS found a low occurrence of Salmonella positives and published the sampling results in a March 2022 report. In addition, there have been no Salmonella illness outbreaks from consumption of Siluriformes fish for decades. FSIS will continue to sample Siluriformes fish for residues as part of the National Residue Program and verify the fish species. FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice on or before July 13, 2022. Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods: - Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for submitting comments.
- Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Room 6065, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
- Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: Deliver to 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350-E, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
- Instructions: All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the agency name and docket number FSIS-2022-0009. Comments received in response to this docket will be made available for public inspection and posted without change, including any personal information, to http://www.regulations.gov.
Graduate Food Safety Fellowship Available USDA's Office of Food Safety (OFS) is continuing its Food Safety Fellowship program in partnership with the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). This fellowship is a scientific research opportunity that will assist FSIS in its goal of building strong relationships with academia. The agency is committed to data-driven and science-based approaches to all aspects of our public health mission. This opportunity will provide a student with an understanding of the type of research that supports FSIS decision making to ensure the safety of the food supply. Student applicants working toward a doctoral degree are encouraged to submit proposals that detail an area of research aligned with the agency's food safety research priorities or identify an existing gap within FSIS' data or research. The proposals should discuss how the candidate would conduct their research to address the gap. Once selected, the fellow will work with the guidance of a university mentor to develop a project supportive of FSIS priorities. This is a one-year, part-time, paid fellowship position. The appointment will be served at the selected participant's location. Eligible candidates must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. college, university, or technical institute, working towards a doctoral degree in food science, veterinary medicine, animal science, or a similar program. Please view the application portal for more information and to apply. The application period closes on August 30, 2022. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The anticipated appointment start date is November 7, 2022. World Food Safety Day Earlier this week FSIS released a blog for World Food Safety Day spotlighting the global health threat of foodborne illness. The United Nations designated June 7 as World Food Safety Day to encourage nations to spread awareness on ways to combat foodborne illness. This year's theme, "Safer Food, Better Health", is central to FSIS' mission to protect public health. Thousands of FSIS inspectors across the nation conduct daily inspection activities, verifying domestic industry compliance with applicable food safety regulatory requirements. Safer food means healthier people. Once food makes it home, FSIS is also a trusted resource for consumers. Our toll-free Meat and Poultry Hotline is available to answer consumer food safety questions from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday via: For more tips on how to prevent foodborne illness at home, check out our Food Safety toolkits available on our website. FSIS to Post Updated Dataset on Import Refusals On June 15, 2022, FSIS will update the publicly posted dataset on import refusals for products that the agency regulates. Federal law requires every commercial shipment of imported meat, poultry, and egg products to be reinspected prior to product entering U.S. commerce. FSIS reinspects each shipment to verify labeling, proper certification, general condition, and any signs of tampering and to identify product adulterated by transportation damage. FSIS also performs additional activities on a random and/or for-cause basis, such as physical product examination and laboratory sampling for pathogens and chemical residues. Any product that does not meet FSIS requirements is refused entry, and the importer has up to 45 days (30 days for egg products) to have the product destroyed for use as human food, re-exported/returned to the foreign country, converted to animal food, or brought into compliance with FSIS requirements, if applicable (e.g., relabeled, remarked, or issued a replacement certificate). This dataset is updated around the 15th of each month and contains each shipment with product that was refused entry. To access these datasets or view more information about them, please visit the Import and Export Data page. 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 29-22 - Cancellation of FSIS Directives FSIS Notice 30-22 - 2022 Yearend Closing Instructions FSIS Notice 31-22 - Reduction in Overtime and Holiday Inspection Fees for Small and Very Small Establishments Export Requirements Update The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following: - European Union
- Taiwan
- Chile
- Benin
- Namibia
- Mauritius
- Nicaragua
- United Arab Emirates
- Costa Rica
- Solomon Islands
- New Caledonia
- Hong Kong
- India
- Jordan
- Cuba
- New Zealand
- Turkey
- Curacao
- St. Lucia
- Uruguay
- Peru
- Ecuador
Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library. | 
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