An Update from the United States
Department of Agriculture’s Food
Safety and Inspection Service
Keith Payne
Deputy Director
Outreach and Partnership Division
Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Agenda
Section Title
Overview of USDA/FSIS
Role of Outreach Office
Investigating Foodborne Illnesses
Current Initiatives and Policy Updates
Overview of USDA/FSIS
Food Safety and
Inspection Service
USDA Structure
FSIS Structure
FSIS’ Mission
The Food Safety and
Inspection Service
protects consumers by
ensuring that meat,
poultry, and egg products
are safe, wholesome, and
accurately labeled.
Dedicated Workforce
Inspectors
present
at various
import
stations every
day
An inspection force of
approximately 7,600
personnel deployed
throughout the
United States and
U.S. territories
Inspectors present in
nearly 6,000 plants every day
Office of Field Operations
Office of Field Operations Import Offices
Compliance and Investigations Division
Legislative Authorities
Federal Meat
Inspection Act
Poultry Products
Inspection Act
Egg Products
Inspection Act
Humane Methods
of Slaughter Act
Role of Outreach Office
Outreach to Small and Very Small Plants
OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIP DIVISION
More than 90% of the
approximate 6,000
plants under FSIS
inspection are
considered small or
very small businesses.
Outreach and
Partnership Division
Daniel Puzo
Director
Keith Payne
Deputy Director
Beatrice Herbert
Program Specialist
Diane Jones
Management Assistant
Jeff Tarrant
CC, Program Specialist
Elaine Hite
Staff Officer
Robert Boyle, DVM
Staff Officer
Jane Johnson, DVM
Program Specialist
Natasha Williams
Program Specialist
Stephanie Kane
Secretary
Darlene Lee
Contractor
Our Mission
 Outreach activities
Resources and outreach to small and very small plants.
Technical expertise, information and advice to small and
very small plant owners and operators
 Regulations, Policies and Systems.
 FSIS cooperative activities with State agencies
 Management of the National Advisory Committee on
Meat and Poultry Inspection
Food Safety
Resources for Small
and Very Small
Plants
Small Plant News
 The newsletter and guidebooks are
written for small and very small
federal- and state-inspected
establishment owners and operators
who produce meat, poultry and egg
products.
 Help, in plain language, translating
FSIS rules and regulations into daily
operational practices
Small Plant Help Desk
 Resource for small and very small plants.
 Call Toll-free 1-877-FSISHelp (1-877-374-
7435).
 USDA-FSIS specialists are available weekdays
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST to give personal
assistance on matters relating to the
regulation of meat, poultry, and processed egg
products.
 Or email questions to
InfoSource@fsis.usda.gov
Guidebooks
Produce series of guidebooks that
provide useful information on topics:
 Dealing with plant emergencies
 Developing a recall plan
 Obtaining a grant of inspection
Translations of Resources
 Resources are available in
 Mandarin
Chinese
 Korean
 Vietnamese

Spanish
Guide to Food Defense in Warehouse and Distribution Centers
CONFERENCES AND
EXHIBITIONS
Some Fiscal Year 2015 Exhibit Events
Event
Location
Food Safety Summit
Baltimore, Maryland
Southeaster Meat Processors Association
Daytona Beach, Florida
Food Marketing Institute Connect Convention
Chicago, Illinois
AAMP American Convention of Meat Processors and
Suppliers
Springfield, Illinois
119th Annual AFDO Educational Conference
Indianapolis, Indiana
Southwest Meat Processors Association
San Antonio, Texas
International Association for Food Protection
Portland, Oregon
State Program Liaison
State MPI Programs
State MPI Programs
 State Cooperative MPI Agreements
 Tallmadge-Aiken Agreements
 Cross Utilization Agreements
 Custom Exempt Agreements
 Egg Products Inspection Agreement
 Cooperative Interstate Shipment Agreements
Monthly State Directors Webinars
United States
Department of Agriculture
Reaching Out States and Universities
 Officials from other USDA agencies participate on a monthly State Directors’
webinars and HACCP Contacts’ and Coordinators’ teleconference
 An outreach effort to the industry


Ensure industry’s ability to comply with the rule.
Measures to inform industry and other interested stakeholders about the requirements of the new
rule were initiated.


Inform Directors of 27 State Meat and Poultry Inspection programs
State HACCP Contacts and HACCP Coordinators at universities
Investigating Foodborne Illnesses
Collaboration to Investigate Foodborne Illnesses
Applied Epidemiology Staff
Surveillance
Team
Investigations
Team
Prevention
and Control
Team
Collaboration to Investigate Foodborne Illnesses
Compliance and
Investigations
Division
Applied
Epidemiology
Staff
State/Local Public
Health and Agriculture
Agencies
Collaboration to Investigate Foodborne Illnesses
Applied Epidemiology Staff participates in:
 Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet)
 PulseNet molecular subtyping network
 Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net)
 Foodborne Diseases Centers for Outbreak Response
Enhancement (FoodCORE)
Current Initiatives and
Policy Updates
USDA Initiatives
Know Your Farmer
Know Your Food
www.usda.gov
USDA Initiatives
Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program
Know Your Farmer
Know Your Food
www.usda.gov
Cooperative Interstate Shipment
Ohio: August 8, 2012
North Dakota: January 11, 2013
Wisconsin: January 14, 2013
Indiana: April 7, 2014
USDA Initiatives
Cooperative Interstate
Shipment Program
FSIS Policy Initiatives
Compliance Guideline
April 17, 2015
Comments due by
June 16, 2015
www.regulations.gov
39
FSIS Policy Initiatives
For those interested in using a new
technology, direct your request through
askFSIS or you may contact the Risk,
Innovations, and Management Division
directly at:
United States Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Risk, Innovations, and Management Division
Patriots Plaza III, Cubicle 8-163A
1400 Independence Ave., SW.: STOP 3782
Washington, DC 20250-3700
Tel: (301) 504-0884
Fax: (301) 245-4793
40
FSIS Policy Initiatives
41
Federal Register Notice Docket
No. FSIS-2015-0009,
“Retail Exemptions Adjusted Dollar Limitations.”
Product
2014
2015
Meat and Meat Food
Product
$70,400
$76,900
Poultry Products
$57,100
$58,200
41
www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register
Mandatory Inspection of
Siluriformes Fish and Fish Products
42
42
2008 Farm Bill
United States
Department of Agriculture
• June 18, 2008, Congress passed the 2008 Farm Bill, making “catfish”, as
defined by the Secretary of Agriculture, amenable to the Federal Meat
Inspection Act (FMIA) and therefore subject to FSIS inspection
•
Regulations must account for the conditions under which catfish are
raised and transported to the processing establishment
•
Countries whose catfish products are imported must be listed as eligible
in the regulations
•
Mandatory ante-mortem, post-mortem, humane handling inspection,
and custom exemption provisions do not apply to catfish
Definition of “Catfish”
• Threshold question for
determining what fish FSIS
inspects
• FSIS requested comment on
the definition of catfish
Key Features of Proposed Rule
United States
Department of Agriculture
•
New subchapter of FSIS Regulations
•
Extensive referencing of meat inspection regulations
•
Some proposed requirements new to catfish products
industry
•
No regulations based on FMIA provisions for ante-mortem,
post-mortem inspection, custom slaughter exemptions
Key Features of Proposed Rule
United States
Department of Agriculture
•
FSIS inspection based on 21 U.S.C. 606— processed products
inspection— and other provisions
•
Pre-harvest provisions
•
Mandatory Sanitation SOPs and HACCP plans
•
HACCP plan validation requirement
•
Import requirements and other features similar to those for
meat and meat food products
Pre-Harvest Standard and Transportation
to the Processing Establishment
Labeling Requirements
• Proposed that general labeling requirements be the same as
for other products under FMIA (Product name, brand name,
ingredients, place of manufacture, etc.)
•
Official inspection legend part of the label
•
Safe-handling labeling for products not ready-to-eat
•
Nutrition labeling requirements in 9 CFR 317, subpart B,
apply
Import Requirements
United States
Department of Agriculture
• Requirements in 21 U.S.C. 620 and 9 CFR part 327 apply
•
Countries and establishments become eligible to export to the U.S.
following an equivalence determination process by FSIS.
•
Foreign food regulatory systems may apply equivalent sanitary
measures if those measures provide the same level of public health
protection achieved by U.S. measures.
•
FSIS uses a comprehensive system that involves document reviews, onsite audits, and port-of-entry reinspection of every shipment of product
that enters the United States to verify that foreign food regulatory
systems maintain equivalence.
Import Requirements
United States
Department of Agriculture
• Shipments must be presented and reinspected by FSIS at an official import
inspection establishment.
• All shipment are reinspected for certification and label verification:
Proper certification documentation
Transportation damage
Proper labeling
General condition
Box count
• Other types of inspection (TOIs) may include:
Physical Examinations
Product Examinations
Laboratory Examinations
Microbiological Contamination
Residues
Species Identification
Agricultural Act of 2014 “2014 Farm Bill”
•
Amended the FMIA to make “all fish of the order
Siluriformes” amenable to the Act
•
Other requirements like those under the 2008 Farm Bill
•
Requires FSIS-FDA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to
govern transition to FSIS inspection, prevent duplication of
oversight— signed April 30, 2014
•
Final rule under review at Office of Management and Budget
QUESTIONS?
Keith Payne
Deputy Director, Outreach and Partnership Division
Office of Outreach, Employee Education and Training
Food Safety and Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Patriots Plaza III, 9th Floor, Room 9-258, Mailstop 3778
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-3700
Telephone: (202) 690-6522
Fax: (202) 690-6519
Email: keith.payne@fsis.usda.gov