U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Office of Food Safety
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Winston Felton, D.V.M.
Dearborn Circuit Supervisor
Madison District Office,
Field Operations, FSIS
January 26, 2001
Food Safety and Inspection Service
How are We Changing?

Same Mission

Ensure safety,
wholesomeness, &
correct labeling &
packaging of meat,
poultry, & egg products.

Same Laws

Federal Meat Inspection
Act
Federal Poultry
Inspection Act
Egg Products Inspection
Act


What has Changed?
Old FSIS
vs New FSIS



Different regulatory
requirements for red
meat products & plants
from poultry products
& plants
Limited flexibility for
innovations
Limited Scientific basis
for regulatory
requirements


Same Sanitation
standard operating
procedures (SSOP) &
Pathogen
Reduction/HACCP
regulations for all plants
(based on riskprevention and science)
Combine/eliminate
regulations/requirement
What has changed?
Old FSIS vs
New FSIS


“Command &
Control” -- Do what
inspector says and
how inspector says
to do it
Prior approval
required for new
equipment,
blueprints, products,
processes, etc., etc.




Redefine Responsibilities
Inspector role: oversight &
verification of regulatory
compliance
Plant role: choose best
ways to regulatory
compliance (PR/HACCP &
SSOP & others) & food
safety
Scientifically-based
Performance Standards
(set requirement, not how
to get there, e.g., 7 log
decrease)
What has Changed?
Old FSIS vs
New FSIS

Primary Past Focus:
Provide Inspection
Services for the
meat, poultry and
egg products
industries

Primary Present & Future
Focus: Provide Prevention& Scientifically-based Int’l.
Public Health Services &
Leadership to Reduce the
Incidence of Food Borne
Illnesses Attributable to
Meat, Poultry, and Egg
Products using Hazard
Analysis Critical Control
Point Systems (HACCP)
What Does FSIS 2001 Do?
1. Mandatory & Voluntary Inspection
Services

FY 1999, FSIS
inspected over 8.3
billion poultry, 155
million head of
livestock, and 3.4
billion pounds of egg
products (domestic
industry growth
expected at 35%/yr)

Inspection services
are provided by
7500 Inspectors
(1100 Veterinarians
& 6400 Food
Inspectors) to more
than 6000 meat,
poultry, and egg
processing plants in
the U.S. & territories
Food Safety & Inspection
Service
FY 1999 Inspections
Cattle Slaughtered: 43,891,921
 Swine Slaughtered: 105,755,405
 Other Livestock Slaughtered: 5,420,077
 Poultry Slaughtered: 8,365,372,345
 Egg Products: 3,400,000,000 pounds
 Processed Product Types: > 250,000
 Imported Products: > 3 Billion pounds

Inspection’s Food Safety
Activities
Sampling
and
Testing
Pathogenic
Microorganisms
Chemical Adulterants,
e.g., Drug Residues
Performance Standards,
e.g., Salmonella
O t h e r C o n s um e r
Protection e.g., fat,
nitrites, species
2. FSIS Farm to Table
Activities -- Animal Production

Voluntary Industry
On-Farm Programs
to minimize
preventable farmrelated food safety
risks, e.g., Pork
Quality Assurance,
farm bio-security


Voluntary State
Educational
Programs for
Producers,
Veterinarians, &
Others, e.g., residue
avoidance
National Conference
on Animal
Production Food
Safety, Sept 2000
3. FSIS Farm-to-Table
Activities -- In Distribution

Voluntary Indistribution
Programs to
minimize
preventable
transportation,
storage, and other
food safety risks,
e.g., guidelines for
temperature controls


Monitoring by
Compliance of InDistribution points
for controls
Pilot Program for
increasing
monitoring activities
by FSIS
4. FSIS Consumer Education
Activities




USDA Meat and
Poultry Hotline
(1-800-535-4555)
Consumer
publications, e.g.
Food Safety
Educator
Fight Bac! Campaign
Thermy! Campaign




Mail Order Food Safety
Campaign
Educational
Partnerships with
States and Others,
e.g., EdNet for food
safety educators
Consumer research &
focus group tests,
“Changing Behaviors,
Changing Strategies”
5. FSIS Public Health
Activities

USDA/FDA/CDC
expand Foodnet
from 5 to 8 sites,
covering 10% of the
U.S. population, with
a foodborne disease
surveillance to
provide better data
on the incidence of
foodborne illness.


USDA/FDA/CDC
Foodborne Outbreak
Response Coordinating
Group—FORCE-G to
assist States during
outbreaks.
USDA/FDA/CDC PulseNet
to link public health labs
that perform DNA
fingerprinting on
foodborne bacteria.
5. FSIS Public Health
Activities

USDA/FDA risk
assessments, e.g.,

Salmonella enteriditis
and Listeria
monocytogenes to

provide better data on
which to base
regulatory decisions.
Codex Alimentarius
international risk
assessments


Joint Institute for Food
Safety Research
participation to ensure
food safety research
needs are being met for
all government agencies.
Animal feed
regulations/controls
USDA food safety
research for FSIS by ARS
6. FSIS Other Activities


Customer Service, e.g., 
OPM Employee Survey,
Listening Sessions,
Public Meetings
Internal Controls, e.g.,
budget, LMR,
communication,
training, EEO/CR,
prevent workplace
violence

Workforce of the Future
Initiatives to make best
use of human resources
and improve workplace,
e.g., Training and
Education 2001 to
determine future
training needs for
employees
Performance Goals and
Strategic Planning
Food Safety and Inspection
Service -- What’s Next ??


Public Health Agency
goals: to improve
public health thru food
safety, from producer’s
farm to consumer’s
table
Customer Services
goals: to provide
Inspection and other
services to all
customers

Regulatory Agency
goals: to provide all
customers guidance and
support to ensure
compliance with the
Pathogen Reduction/
Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point
(PR/HACCP) regulations,
that are based on
science and prevention
of risks