SEMA_________________________________

SOUTHEASTERN MEAT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 620777; Oviedo, FL 32762 Phone: 407-365-5661

Fifth Food Defense Plan Survey

FSIS Notice 38-10 announces the upcoming food defense plan survey, the fifth in a series, which will begin on August 1-31, 2010. The survey will gather data about industry’s voluntary adoption of food defense plans. Food defense plans are voluntary (i.e., not mandated by regulation); however, FSIS considers such plans to be an important tool that can reduce the risk of intentional adulteration of food products. The questions in the food defense plan survey are intended to determine whether an establishment has a food defense plan, and, if so, whether the plan is functional.

The initial food defense survey in 2006 determined that 27% of surveyed establishments had a functional food defense plan. By December 2009, this adoption rate had increased to 62%. While this represents a significant increase from prior years, FSIS wants at least 90% of establishments to have a functional plan and has made this a performance goal for the Agency for 2015. FSIS’s performance goal for 2010 is an adoption rate of 67%.

Once the results of this fifth survey are compiled, the Agency will use them to guide its outreach efforts and its consideration of whether to undertake rulemaking to require adoption and implementation of food defense plans.

To read the notice, go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/38-10.pdf

FSIS Food Defense Risk Mitigation Tool

This online tool is part of an ongoing effort by FSIS to help protect the nation's supply of meat, poultry, and egg products from intentional contamination. FSIS conducted vulnerability assessments with industry representatives and it was suggested that a searchable, user-friendly tool was needed to facilitate identification and selection of applicable mitigation strategies or countermeasures.

This tool identifies possible countermeasures that companies could implement, as part of a food defense plan, to better protect their business, employees, and customers. Written guidance regarding mitigation strategies is available in Food Defense Guidelines for Slaughter and Processing Establishments, which can be obtained by calling the Small Plant Help Desk at 1-877-FSIS HELP (374-7435) and is also available on the web at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Securityguide.pdf.

New SEMA Director

Correction from article in the July 2010 issue
The SEMA Board of Directors is looking at adding an Associate Members seat to the board. The SEMA Associate Members nominated Duane Mobley for the seat. The Directors will take this under consideration at the August board meeting.

Breakfast the Growing Trend

Breakfast is giving restaurants the boost they need. Research done by the NPD Group showed an increase in breakfast business help to ease the declining visits during the downturn. During the past five years, morning meal traffic increased an average of +2 percent per year, comparatively, while lunch visits were flat and supper traffic declined by -2 percent per year on average. Quick service and casual eateries have responded to the trend with new menu items such as specialty coffees and breakfast sandwiches, to meet the consumers' desire for quick, convenient and low-cost morning meals.

QSR Magazine

USDA/FSIS

The FSIS Outreach, Employee Education and Training department provided SEMA convention attendees with the latest FSIS resource materials. If you would like a list of resource materials available go to www.fsis.usda.gov/Science/small_very_small_plant_outreach/index.asp or call Outreach staffer Lindia Howell at 202.690.6500. SEMA appreciates the FSIS Outreach departments’ participation in the convention and working with our Association.

Ask the Expert

USDA has announced the launch of Ask the Expert, a search engine that “optimizes customer experience while conserving taxpayer dollars,” according to a news release about the online tool.
Ask the Expert connects with pre-existing USDA knowledgebase systems by leveraging information from the Food Safety and Inspection Service's AskKaren and the Farm Service Agency's AskFSA, enabling consumers to visit one place and receive a range of answers. Currently, the system holds nearly 2,000 questions and answers about a range of USDA issues and programs.

E. coli Conference to Address Validation

If you have not already made plans to attend the upcoming E. coli O157:H7 Conference Sept 28-29, now is the time to do. This year’s conference will spend an entire morning on achieving validation for further processors. Expert speakers on the topic will include Dr. Jim Dickson, Professor at Iowa State University; Bob Hibbert, Partner at K&L Gates LLP; and Kerri Harris, President, International HACCP Alliance and Associate Professor, Texas A&M University.

These speakers will present the latest information on what you can do to ensure your HACCP programs have been adequately validated. In addition, a high-ranking FSIS official (to be determined) will present the latest information from FSIS on validation. FSIS is currently reviewing the comments submitted to its draft guidance document on validation, and should have a new version of the document released before the conference.

Other topics that will be covered include a pre-harvest update, an FSIS policy update, a discussion of how science and the law affect the industry, information on suppliers, and an overall HACCP plan update.

For more information and to register, go to www.namp.com.

Keeping Your Domain Name Safe

Your domain name — mycompany.com — is not only a critical part of your Web and email services, it is a part of your business identity. So any attempt to steal your domain name, or use the renewal process to con money from you, is a serious threat.

At Spinen we have seen a variety of domain name trickery over the years, from misleading advertising that attempts to part you from your hard-earned dollars to outright scams.

How does domain name registration work? A registrar is an organization accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to manage the reservation of Internet domain names. Registrars allow you to register a domain name to verify ownership of it, somewhat similar to trademarking a business name. While the domain name registration system has reasonable safeguards, devious scammers and unscrupulous companies will try to use misleading tactics to get you to inadvertently transfer control of your domain name to them.
You may see such attempts via mail or email.

Jimmy Puckett & Cliff Hammock from Spinen spoke at the SEMA convention if you would like more information about this or work on your web site you may contact them at www.spinen.com.

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Things to ponder. . . . . . . . . . . .
" There are no secrets to success. It is the result of
preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
Colin Powell
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FSIS-ASK

"Use of US Rejected or US Retained Tag"

Question: Should Inspection Program Personnel (IPP) complete a Noncompliance Record (NR) every time they initiate a regulatory control action by attaching a "US Rejected" tag to equipment or areas or a "US Retained" tag to product?

Answer: IPP do not have to issue an NR every time they apply a "US Rejected" or "US Retained" tag. As per 9 CFR 500.1 and 500.2, IPP can initiate a regulatory control action in order to retain product, reject equipment or facilities, to slow or stop lines, or to refuse to allow the processing of specifically identified product. IPP can also apply a tag as a means to investigate a situation in order to ensure that adulterated or misbranded product does not enter commerce or that an insanitary condition has not been created. The tag can remain in place until regulatory compliance or noncompliance has been determined. If IPP determine that noncompliance does not exist and food safety has been assured, the tag can be removed without documenting noncompliance.
In situations where a "US Rejected" or "US Retained" tag has been applied, but the IPP conclude that there is not a basis to issue a NR, IPP are to prepare a Memorandum of Interview (MOI) in accordance with the instructions in FSIS Directive 5000.1 Verifying an Establishment's Food Safety System, that documents the facts of the situation (i.e., reason the tag was applied; identification the product, equipment or areas involved; who from the establishment was notified; and when the tag was removed), making clear why the action was necessary in the absence of noncompliance. IPP are to contact their Frontline Supervisor if they are uncertain whether a regulatory control action or an NR is justified in the specific situation.

Know Your New SEMA Member

Unipac North America is located in Greenville S.C., and is the North American office of Unipac Brazil, Sao Paulo Brazil. Unipac is a company with 35 yrs. of experience in the Brazilian and international markets. Specialized in the development of flexible plastic packaging suitable for the protection of highly demanding products. Unipac products are available in over 30 countries. This international footprint reflects the high degree of commitment of the company to customer satisfaction, excellence in services and quality standards.

The continued technological and managerial development of Unipac ensures the obtainment of a very high degree of effectiveness in meeting the specifications and expectations its customers, providing them with an internationally recognized performance standard. Its culture and attitude committed to quality issues have allowed the obtainment of certification to ISO9001/2000 standard since 1996 and re-certification to ISO 9001-2000 version. Unipac offers packaging materials features and marketing values targeted by its customers.

Please feel free to contact us @ 864-297-3178 and one of our representatives well be more than happy to schedule an appointment with you or answer any packaging question you may have about your packaging requirements.

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