FSIS Publishes First Public Dashboard of Establishments
The dashboard may be found here.
FDA Posts List of Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers
The list is available here.
FSIS Reissues Notice on Analysis for Salmonella of All Imported Beef Products Sampled for STEC E. Coli
Raw beef and veal samples, including import samples, collected for Shiga Toxin-Producing E. Coli (STEC) analysis will also be analyzed for Salmonella. The Salmonella analysis result is non-regulatory, and if positive, the product is not to be refused entry. The notice contains instructions for notifying the importer of record (IOR) when a sample tests positive for Salmonella but is negative for STECs.
USDA Publishes NPRM on Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees
The current regulation requires Office of General Counsel attorneys to obtain written approval before engaging in the outside practice of law. To more fully address ethical issues unique to OGC attorneys, the proposed revision retains this prior approval requirement and imposes additional restrictions on the outside practice of law, subject to certain exceptions.
Importation of Poultry Products from China Approved
FSIS has approved the importation of fully cooked chicken products from China. The final rule is here.
FSIS Update on Retail Deli Compliance with Lm Guidelines
On Jan. 25, 2016, FSIS launched a multi-year nationwide pilot project to assess whether retail delicatessens are using the recommendations in the document titled FSIS Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Lm in Retail Delicatessens. Since January 2016, FSIS has assessed a total of 5,845 retail delis to determine the adoption rate of the recommendations. FSIS continues to track progress for this pilot project in its Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Plan and the FSIS Strategic Plan, FY 2017-2021.
As of the fourth quarter in fiscal year (FY) 2019, FSIS has exceeded its target with 1,314 assessed retail delis following 93% of the 33 recommendations, over the previous 12 months (target 92%).
Under its strategic and annual plans, FSIS is also tracking whether the retail delis assessed are following all of the top eight recommendations identified in the FSIS Retail Lm Guidance. The top eight recommendations can be found on pages 1-2 of the FSIS Directive 10.310.1- Pilot Project: Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens.
As of the fourth quarter in FY 2019, FSIS has exceeded its target with 71% of the 1,314 assessed retail delis following all eight of the most important recommendations, over the previous 12 months (target 62%).
Retailers can ask questions regarding the Lm deli pilot project through askFSIS or by telephone at 1-800-233-3935. When submitting a question, retailers should use the “Submit a Question tab” and enter “Retail Lm” in the subject field, select “General Inspection Policy” for the product, “Sampling” for the category, and “Domestic (U.S.) Only” for the policy arena.
FSIS Generic Approval Labeling Webinar Posted
The slides are available here.
APHIS Determines Nicaragua Has Negligible BSE Risk
The Federal Register notice is available here.
APHIS Concludes Fresh Carrots May be Imported from South Korea
APHIS issued a notice of availability of a pest risk analysis determining that South Korea’s phytosanitary measures are adequate to mitigate the risks of introducing plant pests or noxious weeds.
FDA Reopens Comment Period on Cigarette Warning Labels; Posts Additional Materials
FDA has added a qualitative study to the docket on the proposed cigarette warning label rule and reopened the comment period for 15 days.
FDA Expands work with Scholastic with Launch of New Youth e-cigarette Prevention Educational Resources for Middle and High Schools
More information here.
FSIS Updates Lists of Establishments from Chile and Australia Eligible to Export to U.S.
Latest FDA Warning Letters
The latest FDA warning letters are:
Please contact Erik Lieberman at elieberman@usfoodimports.com or (202) 765-1800 if you have questions or would like additional information. |