FSIS Posts Individual Category Status & Aggregate Results For Poultry Carcasses, Chicken Parts, & Comminuted Poultry Tested For Salmonella

As announced in the Nov. 9, 2018 Federal Register (83 FR 56046), FSIS has revised the categorization procedures relative to pathogen reduction performance standards. The web-posted establishment category status for Salmonella is based on FSIS sample results during the 52-week window ending the last Saturday of the previous month (Oct. 29, 2017 – Oct. 27, 2018), rather than on results during the last 13 completed 52-week windows. In addition, FSIS is no longer including follow-up sampling results when determining establishment category status. 

Using the revised categorization procedures, FSIS has posted the individual establishments’ category status on its website at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/salmonella-verification-testing-program/establishment-categories and will maintain the last six months of historical establishment-specific categorization data on the website, as it becomes available. In addition to individual establishment carcass performance categorization, as announced on Oct. 26, 2018 in the Constituent Update, FSIS has also begun posting the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw chicken parts and comminuted poultry products.

Additionally, FSIS has posted the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing young chicken or turkey carcasses, raw chicken parts or not ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted poultry products at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/salmonella-verification-testing-program/aggregate-data.

U.S.-Canada RCC Stakeholder Forum to be Held in Early December

On Dec. 4-5, 2018, the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Stakeholder Forum will bring together senior regulatory officials, industry, and other members of the public from both sides of the U.S-Canada border. Canadian and U.S. regulators will provide progress reports on existing regulatory cooperation efforts and solicit public input on new opportunities for regulatory cooperation. The RCC promotes economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation through the elimination of unnecessary regulatory differences between our two countries. 

The forum will take place at the Washington Convention Center at 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW, Washington, D.C., 20001. Additional information and an agenda is available at  www.trade.gov/rcc.  To RSVP, click here. For questions about the registration or in general, please contact rcd-dcmr@tbs-sct.gc.ca or international-OIRA@omb.eop.gov.

Establishment Specific Dataset Now Available

FSIS has posted a new establishment specific dataset on the FSIS website as announced in the Federal Register on July 14, 2016 (Docket No. FSIS-2014-0032). This is the full dataset of FSIS’ routine microbiological sampling of raw chicken parts. Prior to publishing this dataset, the sample dataset and corresponding data dictionary were posted on Aug. 10, 2018 and comments were sought until Sept. 21, 2018. FSIS updates existing datasets quarterly and this dataset will next be updated in January 2019.

Additional details can be found at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/data/fsis-datasets.

Policy Updates

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations. The following policy updates were recently issued:

Notice 62-18 – Performance Award Distribution for Non-Bargaining Unit Employees
Notice 63-18 – Transition to USDA Government MasterCard Travel Credit Card
Docket No. FSIS-2018-0040 – Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Stakeholder Input on Federal Outreach To Control Listeria Monocytogenes at Retail  

Export Requirements Updates

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following countries:

Argentina
Japan
New Caledonia
Morocco
Republic of Korea
Singapore
South Africa
Taiwan
Western Samoa 

Source: USDA FSIS