FSIS Reissues Notices On RTE Operations

(American Meat Institute)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued Notice 07-12, Intensified Verification Testing and ‘For Cause’ Food Safety Assessments in Response to Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Testing Results. This notice reissues the content of FSIS Notice 60-10, which expired on November 1, 2011.

FSIS is reissuing this notice because it provides important information for scheduling a “for cause” Food Safety Assessment (FSA) performed with Intensified Verification Testing (IVT). It also specifies the conditions that trigger scheduling a “for cause” IVT FSA, including Salmonella positive results from ready-to-eat (RTE) product. This notice has been revised to clarify that FSIS will no longer perform IVT sampling in response to E. coli O57:H7 positive results from RTE products because routine sampling has been discontinued for the pathogen in these products.

To view this notice, click here: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/07-12.pdf.

FSIS has also issued Notice 06-12: Raw Product Destined for RTE Product Excluded From Salmonella Testing. This notice reissues content from FSIS Notice 65-10 to update the information to reflect procedures to follow under PHIS and to reflect current sampling frames, since FSIS is not currently sampling beef carcasses for Salmonella.

This notice advises inspection program personnel (IPP) that even though most raw meat and poultry products are subject to Salmonella testing, there is a narrow set of circumstances in which sampling is not warranted. When an establishment processes all its products into ready-to-eat (RTE) product or moves all its raw products for further processing into RTE product at another federally inspected establishment, the raw products at that establishment are excluded from the not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) Salmonella verification testing program schedule.

To view this notice, click here: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/06-12.pdf.

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