Food Industry Regulatory Update January 7, 2022

In This Week’s Edition:

FDA-TRACK Releases Interactive Reportable Food Registry Dashboard
FDA Announces Availability of Compliance Policy Guide on Histamine Forming Fishery Products
USDA Announces Specialty Crop Committee Meeting
USDA Seeks Nominations for Membership on Food Safety Advisory Committee
USDA Announces Meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee
New HACCP Model for Raw Intact Beef Now Available
FSIS Announces the FY2022 Annual Sampling Plan
FSIS Notice on Raw Pork Products Sampling Program
USA Prevails in USMCA Dispute on Canadian Dairy Restrictions
FDA to Hold Public Meetings to Discuss Proposed Changes to Agricultural Water Requirements in the Produce Safety Rule
2022 Rates for Grain Inspection Services Under the United States Grain Standards Act
Eligibility of Lithuania to Export Egg Products to the United States
Addition of the Dominican Republic to the List of Regions Affected With African Swine Fever
FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
FDA Import Alerts
FDA Warning Letters

FDA-TRACK Releases Interactive Reportable Food Registry Dashboard

This Week FDA-TRACK launched a new, interactive public data dashboard that allows anyone to view historical data from the Reportable Food Registry (RFR), an essential tool that the food industry uses to alert the FDA of a dangerous food product. The RFR program helps our state and local partners better determine when to issue health alerts, take steps to remove harmful food from the market, and target enforcement efforts, such as sampling assignments.

FDA Announces Availability of Compliance Policy Guide on Histamine Forming Fishery Products

The FDA is announcing the availability of a draft Compliance Policy Guide entitled ‘‘Sec. 540.525 Scombrotoxin (Histamine)-forming Fish and Fishery Products–Decomposition and Histamine.’’

USDA Announces Specialty Crop Committee Meeting

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act, and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, the USDA announces a meeting of the Specialty Crop Committee January 19-20.

USDA Seeks Nominations for Membership on Food Safety Advisory Committee

The USDA’s FSIS is soliciting nominations for membership to the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. USDA expects to appoint committee members in 2022.

USDA Announces Meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, the AMS, USDA, is announcing a meeting of the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee February 1.

New HACCP Model for Raw Intact Beef Now Available

FSIS has released a Generic HACCP Model for Raw, Intact Beef. This model uses the production of beef steaks and roasts to demonstrate hazard analysis and HACCP plan principles.

FSIS Announces the FY2022 Annual Sampling Plan

FSIS has posted on its website the FY2022 Annual Sampling Program Plan. A key FSIS inspection verification activity is the sampling of product for microbiological contaminants or chemical residues. FSIS has released a new sampling plan each fiscal year since releasing the 2011 Report on the Food Safety and Inspection Service Microbiological and Residue Sampling Programs, which identified all of FSIS’ sampling programs and discussed the statistical and policy basis for the programs.

FSIS Notice on Raw Pork Products Sampling Program

FSIS released a notice that sampling under the Raw Pork Products Sampling Program will continue. All raw pork samples will continue to be analyzed for Salmonella and for aerobic counts, which serve as indicator organisms.

USA Prevails in USMCA Dispute on Canadian Dairy Restrictions

United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States has prevailed in the first dispute settlement panel proceeding ever brought under the USMCA. A USMCA panel agreed with the United States that Canada is breaching its USMCA commitments by reserving most of the in-quota quantity in its dairy tariff-rate quotas for the exclusive use of Canadian processors.

FDA to Hold Public Meetings to Discuss Proposed Changes to Agricultural Water Requirements in the Produce Safety Rule

FDA will be holding two virtual public meetings on the recently released proposed rule “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption Relating to Agricultural Water.” The purpose of the public meetings is to discuss the proposed rule, which was issued under the FDA FSMA. These public meetings are intended to facilitate and support the public’s evaluation and commenting process on the proposed rule. The meetings will occur February 14 and 25.

2022 Rates for Grain Inspection Services Under the United States Grain Standards Act

AMS is announcing the 2022 rate it will charge for official inspection and weighing services, supervision of official inspection and weighing services, and miscellaneous fees for other services performed under the United States Grain Standards Act, as amended.

Eligibility of Lithuania to Export Egg Products to the United States

FSIS is announcing that it intends to list Lithuania as a country eligible to export egg products to the United States. FSIS has reviewed Lithuania’s laws, regulations, and documents concerning their egg products inspection system, audited the system as implemented, and determined that Lithuania’s egg products inspection system is equivalent to the system that the United States has established under the Egg Products Inspection Act and its implementing regulations.

Addition of the Dominican Republic to the List of Regions Affected With African Swine Fever

APHIS has added the Dominican Republic to the list of regions that is considered to be affected with African swine fever.

FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update

This week’s updates are:

The outbreak of E. coli has been linked to packaged salads and CDC has issued an Investigation Notice.
The case count increased for the outbreak of Salmonella Javiana.

CORE Investigation Table