The following was issued yesterday by
FSIS. It relates to the testing of ground beef but may signal the
approach they will take if testing of trimmings is introduced.
In the case of ground beef any product with a confirmed
positive would be refused entry if it is on hold while awaiting
the test result.
Laurie
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE
WASHINGTON, DC FSIS NOTICE 47-02 11/20/02
FSIS Actions Concerning Suppliers that may be Associated with
Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 Positive Raw Ground Beef
Product
What kind of notice do program personnel provide before
collecting raw ground beef samples for E. coli O157:H7 testing? At
federally inspected establishments (excluding import
establishments): Before collecting routine samples of raw ground
beef for E. coli O157:H7 testing, inspection program personnel
notify official establishment management and provide enough time
for the establishment to hold the entire sampled lot.
Inspection program personnel inform the establishment of the
reason they are taking the sample (e.g., routine monitoring,
follow-up sampling in response to an E. coli O157:H7 positive, a
traceback sample, or follow-up sampling in response to an E. coli
O157:H7 outbreak). At retail facilities: Compliance Officers are
to make an effort to notify the retail facility the day before
they plan to collect the sample so the retail facility can prepare
to hold the expected sampled lot. However, in cases when this is
not possible, Compliance Officers should try to get to the retail
facility as close to the beginning of the grinding operation as
possible. Compliance Officers do not collect product from retail
cases. At this time, Compliance Officers obtain from the retail
facility the names and establishment numbers of the establishments
supplying the source materials for the lot of ground beef being
sampled. In the event the source material utilized is store
generated trim, the Compliance Officer obtains and records the
names and establishment numbers of the establishments from which
the store generated trim was derived. This information is recorded
on the retail worksheet. In addition, the Compliance Officer
records the supplier lot number, production date, and other
identifying information that would be useful to the supplier if it
is later notified of an E. coli O157:H7 positive. This information
is posted to the OUTLOOK folder established for this purpose. At
import establishments: Import inspectors notify the import
establishment when a shipment is to be sampled for E. coli O157:H7
so that the establishment has an opportunity to voluntarily hold
the product until the results are reported. FSIS holds the product
to be sampled when intensified sampling for E. coli O157:H7 is
being performed.
What happens if there is a presumptive positive at a Federal
grinding establishment? The Inspector in Charge (IIC) uses
Laboratory Electronic Application Results Notification (LEARN) to
check for sample results. If the results are presumptive positive,
the IIC notifies establishment management that the sample was
presumptive positive. The IIC also informs the establishment that
if the results are confirmed positive, he or she will be
collecting (under the authority of 9 CFR 320.1) the following
information regarding the suppliers of the presumptive positive
product:
1. Name of establishment, Point of Contact,, and Phone number
2. Supplier lot number
2. Production date
The IIC advises the establishment that it should begin to
gather the information above.
Note: On weekends and holidays, if the establishment is not
operating, the District Office carries out the above process.
What will FSIS do if the sample is confirmed positive for E.
coli O157:H7? At federally inspected establishments (excluding
import establishments): The IIC collects from the establishment
the information in paragraph II above. The IIC makes note of any
information that the establishment is unable to provide.
The IIC forwards the information, via email, to the designated
District Office contact for this procedure, with a "cc" to the
Circuit Supervisor.
The District Office contact person notifies all of the
supplying establishments in his or her own District, by telephone,
of the positive finding and provides the suppliers the production
date for the product that the supplier provided to the grinder,
the lot number of the supplied product, and other information that
would be useful to the supplier to help identify the E. coli
O157:H7 positive lot.
District contact persons document the date and time of the oral
notification and send this information along with the supplier
information to the Director, Recall Management Division, via
electronic mail.
If any of the suppliers are located in other Districts, the
District Office contact provides the supplier information to his
or her counterparts in the appropriate Districts so that
notification to the suppliers is carried out by the District
Office within which the supplier is located.
The Recall Management Division issues a written notification to
each supplier, with a "cc" to the applicable District Office.
NOTE: If the confirmed positive sample includes imported
product, then the District Office contact person provides the
supplier information to the Office of International Affairs (OIA)
contact person. The OIA contact person in turn forwards this
information to the head of the inspection service in the country
where the supplier establishment is located.
At retail facilities:
The District Office is notified of a retail positive through
the Biological Information Transfer and E-mail System (BITES).
The District Office contact accesses the OUTLOOK folder with
the list of suppliers for the sampled product that tested
positive.
The District Office contact person notifies all of the
supplying establishments in his or her own District, by telephone,
of the positive finding and provides the suppliers the production
date for the product the supplier provided to the grinder, the lot
number of the supplied product, and other information that would
be useful to the supplier to help identify the E. coli O157:H7
positive lot. District contact persons document the date and time
of the oral notification and send this information along with the
supplier information to the Director, Recall Management Division,
via electronic mail.
If any of the suppliers are located in other Districts, the
District Office contact provides the supplier information to his
or her counterparts in the appropriate Districts so that
notification to the suppliers is carried out by the District
Office within which the supplier is located.
The Recall Management Division issues a written notification to
each supplier, with a "cc" to the applicable District Office.
NOTE: If the confirmed positive sample includes imported
product, then the District Office contact person provides the
supplier information to the OIA contact person. The OIA contact
person in turn forwards this information to the head of the
inspection service in the country where the supplier establishment
is located.
At the supplying establishment:
The District Office informs the Circuit Supervisor and IIC of
each supplier establishment notified. This notification includes
identifying information about the production lot that the
establishment supplied. It is important to note that this
notification is to ensure that the establishment knows that it
could be the source of the E. coli O157:H7. It is not a definitive
determination that the supplier establishment is the actual source
of the pathogen. The IICs at the supplying establishments ensure
that inspection program personnel perform a HACCP 02 procedure to
verify that the establishment met all regulatory requirements at
all CCPs in the HACCP plan (monitoring, verification,
recordkeeping, corrective actions, and reassessment) for the
production lots sent to the establishment at which the positive
was found. If inspection program personnel find noncompliance,
they take appropriate action as described in FSIS Directive
5000.1. At import establishments: If the product is on hold at the
import establishment, whether on FSIS hold or voluntary hold, the
IIC refuses entry of the lot. If the lot has moved into commerce
from the import establishment:
The IIC sends, via e-mail, to the designated District Office
contact for this procedure, the country of origin, foreign country
establishment number, health certificate number, shipping mark,
and the name and address of the consignee from the health
certificate. Additionally, if the Importer of Record from block 6a
of FSIS Form 9540-1, Import Inspection Application and Report, is
different from the Consignee on the health certificate, the IIC
provides this information.
A "cc" is sent to the Circuit Supervisor.
The IIC faxes a copy of the health certificate, FSIS Form
9540-1, and FSIS Form 10,210-3, Requested Sample Programs Form, to
the TSC at (402) 221-7479.
The District Office contact person notifies the Consignee or
the Importer of Record in his or her own District by telephone of
the positive finding, and provides the country of origin, foreign
country establishment number, health certificate number, and the
shipping mark.
The TSC faxes the information to the OIA, which in turn
notifies the head of the inspection service in the foreign country
of the positive sample and requests that appropriate action be
taken.
If the Consignee or Importer of Record is located in another
District, the District Office contact provides the information to
his or her counterpart in the appropriate District so that
notification can be carried out by the District Office within
which the Consignee or Importer of Record is located.
The District Office contact person documents the time and date
of the verbal notification and sends this information along with
the information to the Director, Recall Management Division, via
electronic mail.
The Recall Management Division issues written notification to
the Consignee or Importer of Record. What FSIS office maintains
the supplier information collected? The Office of Field Operations
will develop and maintain a database of the information gathered
regarding suppliers. The information will be kept in an Outlook
folder.
/s/
Philip S. Derfler
Deputy Administrator
Office of Policy and Program Development
Meat Importers Council of America
Ph: (703) 522 1910
Fax: (703) 524 6039
