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

USDA Proposes Rules to Ensure Retailers Traceability Ground Meats

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing to require that all makers of raw ground beef products keep records in order to further protect consumers by ensuring retailers can trace sources of ground meats.

Establishments and retail stores that grind raw beef products for sale in commerce must keep records that disclose the identity and contact information of the supplier of all source material that they use in the preparation of each lot of ground beef. Establishments and retail stores would also have to comply with the proposed recordkeeping requirements with respect to raw beef products that are ground at an individual customer's request.

Under the new traceback procedures, FSIS will conduct immediate investigations at businesses whose ground beef tests positive for E. coli O157:H7 during initial testing and at suppliers that provided source materials. These traceback investigations will begin as soon as FSIS receives a presumptive positive result and the grinding facility can provide supplier information. Previously, FSIS began investigations at the grinding facility only after a presumptive positive test result was confirmed, which can take two days. A similar investigation of the grinding facility’s suppliers would have taken place 30 days later, and more intensive investigations of suppliers will now also begin immediately. Beginning investigations at the point of a presumptive positive test result can save FSIS valuable time.  
As part of the traceback investigation, FSIS will review establishment records to determine whether the grinding or supplying establishment’s food safety system experienced a breakdown. The agency will also determine whether the supplying establishment shipped product that may be contaminated to other grinding facilities or further processors. If so, FSIS will take steps to have that product removed from commerce.

The proposal and Traceback procedure are posted on the FSIS website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register/proposed-rules and will be published in the Federal Register.  FSIS is receiving comments until September 22, 2014.  The traceback procedures will be fully implemented 60 days after publication in the Federal Register on October 14, 2014. The Federal Register Notice is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a054fc30-2af6-4ea5-a9e9-468c2df788e8/2011-0009.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.   You can submit comments electronically by going through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, or by mail to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), FSIS, Patriots Plaza 3, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3782, 8-163A, Washington, DC 20250-3700.                                                       

Poultry New Inspection System and Additional Food Safety Requirements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will require all poultry companies take measures to prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination, rather than addressing contamination after it occurs.  For the first time ever, all poultry facilities will be required to perform their own microbiological testing at two points in their production process to show that they are controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter.  These requirements are in addition to FSIS' own testing, which the agency will continue to perform.  FSIS is also introducing the optional New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS), in which poultry companies must sort their own product for quality defects before presenting it to FSIS inspectors. Also included in that plan are revised pathogen reduction performance standards for all poultry, and standards for poultry parts, which consumers commonly purchase.  These new standards are expected to be announced later this year.  Additionally, all companies operating under the NPIS must maintain a program to encourage the early reporting of work-related injuries and illnesses, and FSIS employees will receive new instructions on how to report workplace hazards that may affect plant workers, including access to a confidential 1-800 number to report concerns directly to OSHA.

"The United States has been relying on a poultry inspection model that dates back to 1957, while rates of foodborne illness due to Salmonella and Campylobacter remain stubbornly high. The system we are announcing imposes stricter requirements on the poultry industry and places our trained inspectors where they can better ensure food is being processed safely. These improvements make use of sound science to modernize food safety procedures and prevent thousands of illnesses each year," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

To view the final rule that will soon publish in the Federal Register, visit the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/poultryinspection.

Implementing SQF v.7.2 Systems Training

This two day course will promote an understanding of the new 7.2 Edition SQF Code through a combination of lectures, class assignments, case studies, and in-depth discussions.  The course will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the SQF program and will prepare an individual to meet the SQF Practitioner requirements and successfully implement and maintain an SQF System.  Knowledge of Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is required prior to taking this course.

October 16 - 17, 2014 | Georgia
NWFPA Member Price: $500 per person
Non-member Price: $725 per person
Noor Al-Muhaifeed, Training Coordinator
503.327.2200

Mark Your Calendar – Get the Word Out

SEMA and NAMA Announce 2014 Beef Safety Conference
“Pathogen Control and Regulatory Compliance in Beef Processing”

The Southeastern Meat Association is partnering with the North American Meat Association (NAMA) to host the annual Beef Safety Conference, which will cover “Pathogen Control and Regulatory Compliance in Beef Processing.” It will be held October 15-16, 2014, at the Four Points by Sheraton near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois.

The two-day conference is designed for processors of ground beef, mechanically tenderized steaks, and other non-intact beef products. Attendees will learn the latest information on E. coli O157:H7 and other STECS, Salmonella, and ways to improve their food safety systems both from a scientific and regulatory standpoint. There will be a networking reception with table-top exhibits by leading food safety companies.

This year’s conference features top industry experts, including:

• Dr. Dayna Harhay, US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC)
• Dr. Wendy Warren, AEGIS Food Testing Laboratories
• Dr. Chris Braden (invited), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Rachel Edelstein, USDA Food Safety Inspection Service
• Dr.Dan Engeljohn (invited), USDA Food Safety Inspection Service
• Dr. Kerri Gehring, International HACCP Alliance and Texas A&M University
• Dr. Barb Masters, OFW Law
• Dr. Mohammad Koohmaraie, IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group
• Norm Robertson, North American Meat Association
• Robert Hibbert, Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius LLP

The conference is supported by the Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo) membership, and the co-sponsoring organizations including Meat Associations and Media.
Register before September 24, 2014, for an early-bird discount that puts the registration fee at $449 for members of SEMA and its partner organizations, and $549 for non-members. (After Sept. 24, the registration fee goes up to $549 for members and $649 for non-members.)

For more information, complete program details, and to register go to http://meatassociation.com/events/e-coli-conference, or call NAMA toll-free at +1 800.368.3043 ext. 101.

Industry News

Verification of 9 CFR 319.107, Bacon Yield

Q.  When performing a PHIS  Percent Yield/Shrink task, what information do Inspection Program Personnel (IPP) need to verify compliance with the bacon regulatory standard of identity, 9 CFR 319.107?

A.  The bacon regulatory standard of identity states: The weight of cured pork bellies ready for slicing and labeling as "Bacon" shall not exceed the weight of the fresh uncured pork bellies.

In other words, the pumped/smoked pork bellies are required to return to green weight (i.e., 100% yield).   IPP are to continue to verify the regulatory requirement by completing the Percent Yield/Shrink task at the current frequency. Through record review and direct observation, IPP are to verify the effective implementation of ongoing control programs that address non-food safety issues (FSIS Directive 7000.1, Section VI,D).  Establishments may have control programs based on X-bar and R charts, cumulative sum, X-bar and sigma, or similar statistical programs to verify product labeled as "Bacon" returns to green weight on a lot basis over time.  Through these programs, typically plotted over time, establishments may detect small variations and adjust their processes accordingly.

For example, establishments may use an X-bar and R (range) chart to assess the system's stability or demonstrate the establishment's ability to consistently meet the regulatory standard of 100% yield with minimal variation.  A stable system may contain data above and below 100% yield; however, there should be minimal deviation over time. A system that does not exhibit stability would have excessive deviation over time.  Bacon yield control programs should not target over 100% yield.  After establishments assess stability, they may choose to stratify the data.  In other words, depending upon the size of the establishment, there may be entirely different results separated among shifts, workers, different injectors, smokehouses, or lots of materials.  Establishments may collect and track the data in a way that allows stratification by time, line, operator, and lots. The stratified data gathered should demonstrate how the establishment knows that it is meeting the regulatory requirement.

There are variables in the bacon manufacture process that IPP and the establishment may consider when evaluating process control, such as lean/fat ratio, belly weight, % pump, drip time, smoke schedule, chill schedule, air circulation in the oven or cooler, and number of bellies in the oven or cooler.  Typically, a control program will include the collection of a representative sample of bellies from a lot.  There is no regulatory requirement to develop a control program; however, without a control chart, establishments will have difficulty demonstrating that the process is under control, has changed, or identifying sources of process variability.

FSIS Directive 7120.1 Revision 19   8/5/14
Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products

FSIS Notice 37-14  8/11/14
Procedures for Notifying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

FSIS Notice 39-14   8/13/14
Clarification and Expansion of Sampling Eligibility Criteria for the Routine Beef Manufacturing Trimmings (MT60) and Bench Trim (MT55) Sampling Programs

FSIS Notice 38-14   8/13/14
Certifying Products under the Export Verification and the Less Than 30 Months of Age Verification Quality System Assessment (EV/QSA) Programs

FSIS Notice 40-14  8/14/14
Notification of Availability of Revised Document for Pre-Harvest Management Controls and Intervention Options for Reducing Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Shedding in Cattle

FSIS Directive 4300.1 Revision 1  8/21/14
Recruitment, Relocations, and Retention Incentives

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