In This Week’s Edition:
- FDA Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards Self-Assessment and Verification Audit Workshops
- USDA Opens Registration for the 2023 Agricultural Outlook Forum
- USDA Announces Early Release of Select Commodity Tables for Agricultural Projections to 2032
- FSIS Suspends Testing for Nitrofuran Residues in Poultry
- FSIS Revises Inspection Directive on Food Safety System Verification
- FSIS Revises Inspection Directive on Labeling and Import Verification in an Official Egg Products Plants
- FSIS Notice on Rescission of Dual Labeling Requirements
- CBP Trade News
- How Does the FDA Respond to Foodborne Outbreaks?
- FSIS Revises Directive on Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
- Investigation of Adverse Event Reports: French Lentil & Leek Crumbles
- 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 Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards Self-Assessment and Verification Audit Workshops
FDA is hosting two virtual, instructor-led Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards Self-Assessment and Verification Audit Workshops in 2023:
- January 30 – February 2, 2023 (daily, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET)
- March 20 – March 23, 2023 (daily, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET)
USDA Opens Registration for the 2023 Agricultural Outlook Forum
USDA announced that registration is now open for the 99th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, USDA’s largest and premier annual event. The two-day event will be held in-person at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott on February 23-24, 2023, and all sessions will be livestreamed on a virtual platform.
USDA Announces Early Release of Select Commodity Tables for Agricultural Projections to 2032
On November 7, 2022, at 3 p.m. EST, the USDA will release selected tables from the upcoming USDA Agricultural Projections to 2032 report prepared in support of the President’s annual budget process as defined in the Budget Control Act. These tables will include 10-year projections for major U.S. crops and livestock products and will be followed in February 2023 by USDA’s Agricultural Projections to 2032 report that will include a full discussion of the commodity supply and use projections, and projections for farm income and global commodity trade.
FSIS Suspends Testing for Nitrofuran Residues in Poultry
FSIS has published a notice informing inspection program personnel of changes in nitrofuran residue sampling. FSIS is suspending the sampling and testing of young chicken carcasses and raw poultry products for nitrofuran residues under the U.S. National Residue Program in all domestic and imported poultry products.
FSIS Revises Inspection Directive on Food Safety System Verification
FSIS has revised its directive to inspection personnel on how they are to protect the public health by properly verifying an establishment’s compliance with the pathogen reduction, sanitation, and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations. This directive has been revised to incorporate instructions related to HACCP requirements in egg products, the revised regulations under the Rules of Practice for egg products and clarifying instructions in establishments that do not have critical control points or a HACCP plan. In addition, Chapter IV – Pathogen Reduction Activities has been revised to reflect changes due to the implementation of the Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection rule (79 FR 49566) and the Modernization of Swine Slaughter Inspection rule (83 FR 4780). Additional technical corrections have been made to remove obsolete title references, update regulatory citations for the Thermally Processed, Commercially Sterile Rule (81 FR 17338), and to add one citation to an example for Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs).
FSIS Revises Inspection Directive on Labeling and Import Verification in an Official Egg Products Plants
The directive instructs inspection program personnel how to verify labeling requirements and how to conduct import reinspection on shipments of imported unpasteurized liquid egg products received at an official egg products plant. This directive is being reissued to remove instructions related to egg products food safety verification tasks since food safety verification for egg products is now done under the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points tasks.
FSIS Notice on Rescission of Dual Labeling Requirements
The notice informs inspection program personnel (IPP) that FSIS has eliminated dual labeling requirements for certain packages of meat and poultry products
CBP Trade News
Read the latest Trade News Snapshot. This edition features the following topics:
- Increasing the Focus on Trade-Based Money Laundering
- CBP Deputy Commissioner Hosts COAC Public Meeting
- Trade Enforcement Success: CBP Modifies Existing WRO
- CBP Commissioner Hosts WCO Secretary General
- Seizures of Counterfeit Jewelry Continue
How Does the FDA Respond to Foodborne Outbreaks?
In a video, the FDA describes the often-complex web of steps taken by the agency along with the CDC and local, state, and international public health authorities to respond to outbreaks in FDA regulated food products. The video explores how the CDC works with public health authorities to learn more about what might be making consumers sick, and then if an FDA regulated food product is identified, how the FDA investigates the cause of the outbreak and work with industry to remove any potentially contaminated product from store shelves.
FSIS Revises Inspection Directive on Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products
This directive provides inspection program personnel with the latest updates to the list of substances that may be used in the production of meat, poultry, and egg products. As a reminder, this directive no longer provides the complete listing of approved substances, On-Line Reprocessing (OLR) and Off-Line Reprocessing (OFLR) Antimicrobial Intervention Systems. Instead, it only provides a list of the latest changes. The complete listing of OLR and OFLR Antimicrobial Intervention Systems is available at the link above. FSIS is also providing a link to the complete list of safe and suitable ingredients and the list in 9 CFR 424.21(c) of additional acceptable food ingredients.
Investigation of Adverse Event Reports: French Lentil & Leek Crumbles
The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners, investigated consumer complaints of gastrointestinal illness and liver, bile duct, and/or gallbladder illness that were linked to eating Daily Harvest French Lentil & Leek Crumbles frozen product.
FDA CORE Outbreak Investigation Status Update
This week’s updates are:
- A new outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 (reference #1121) in a not yet identified product has been added to the table and traceback has been initiated.
- For the outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield in seafood, (reference #1105), FDA issued an Outbreak Advisory on 10/19/2022.
- Based on CDC’s epidemiological investigation of two large multistate outbreaks of Cyclospora cayetanensis (reference #1080 and #1084), ill people reported eating a variety of leafy greens before becoming sick. For both investigations, CDC, FDA, and state and local partners conducted epidemiologic and traceback investigations and collected and analyzed product and environmental samples. All samples collected were reported as negative for Cyclospora. Due to the lack of additional detail in the epidemiological data and the absence of supporting evidence collected from traceback and sample collection, FDA could not identify a specific product as the source of either outbreak.
- For the outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg (reference #1087) in a not identified product, one additional case was reported, the outbreak has ended, and FDA’s investigation has closed.
- For the adverse illness event series in frozen food (reference #1076), the outbreak has ended, and the FDA investigation has closed.
FSIS Updates Lists of Foreign Establishments Eligible to Export to U.S.
FDA Import Alerts
The latest FDA import alerts include foods due to heavy metal contamination, food products that appear to be misbranded, foods containing undeclared and or illegal colors, and more.
FDA Warning Letters
Juicemafia, Inc. d/b/a Ecig-Works |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Juicemafia Inc. d/b/a ECIG-Works |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
180 Vape E-Cigs & Lounge |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Lakpura LLC |
Unapproved and Misbranded Products Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) |
Advanced Cosmetic Research Laboratories Inc. |
CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated/Unapproved New Drug |
Ragin’ Vapors |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
RiteAid Corporation |
Failure to Comply with Drug Listing Requirements/Misbranded |
Nicotine River LLC |
Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act/Adulterated/Misbranded |
Nephron SC Inc. |
CGMP/Finished Pharmaceuticals/Adulterated |
El Gordo Spices, LLC |
Seafood HACCP/CGMP for Foods/Adulterated/Insanitary Conditions |
Unit Dose Services, LLC |
Failure to Comply with Drug Listing Requirements |