Constituent Update - September 20, 2024

Constituent Update - September 20, 2024

Consumer Tips for Food Safety Education Month and Emergency Preparedness Month

September is National Food Safety Education Month and Emergency Preparedness Month. FSIS has tips for consumers to help you make safe choices for your families before and after a weather emergency. Knowing how to keep food safe will help minimize the potential loss of food and reduce the risk of foodborne illness after weather emergencies and power outages.

If a storm is coming and you expect a power outage:

• Before: Fill empty spaces in your freezer with frozen plastic jugs of water, bags of ice, or gel packs. Also, freeze items that you don't need right away.

• During: Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed. A refrigerator will keep food safely cold for 4 hours after power loss if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold a safe temperature for 48 hours, and a half full freezer for 24 hours if it is unopened.
• After: If the power is off longer, you can transfer food to a cooler and fill with ice or frozen gel packs. Make sure there is enough ice to keep food in the cooler at 40 degrees F or below. Add more ice to the cooler as it begins to melt. Discard any perishable food after the safe timeframes if you are unable to transfer to a cooler.

For more information on how to keep food in your home safe, follow our steps on what to do before and after a weather emergency.

For a free detailed guide on how to keep your food safe during a storm ─ A Consumer's Guide to Severe Storms and Hurricanes in English or Spanish ─ call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), email [email protected] or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

FSIS to Post Individual Category Status and Aggregate Results for Poultry Carcasses, Chicken Parts, and Comminuted Poultry Tested for Salmonella

On September 20, 2024, FSIS will update the individual establishment Salmonella performance standard category information for raw poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, and comminuted poultry products on the Salmonella Verification Testing Program Monthly Posting page on the FSIS website. Additionally, FSIS will post the aggregate sampling results showing the number of establishments in categories 1, 2, or 3 for establishments producing young poultry carcasses, raw chicken parts, or not ready-to-eat (NRTE) comminuted poultry products at the location linked above.

Reminder: FSIS to Onboard Mexico in PHIS Export Component

As announced in previous Constituent Updates, starting November 4, 2024, all FSIS meat and poultry product export certificates for products exported to Mexico will be generated, issued and officially maintained in FSIS' Public Health Information System (PHIS). This change excludes certificates for casings and egg products. The Mexico PHIS Industry Test Environment (ITE) is currently available for testing.

All export certificates (FSIS Form 9060-5 series) generated through PHIS will be digitally signed by FSIS and will be printed on plain paper by industry personnel with PHIS access. These plain paper forms must include the PHIS-generated watermark. Any attestations for Mexico, as documented in the FSIS Export Library, will be captured in the FSIS Form 9060-5 remarks section or the FSIS Form 9060-5B (continuation sheet). The digitally signed FSIS Form 9060-5 series printed on plain paper, with a watermark, and available for validation in PHIS will replace all letterhead certificates for meat and poultry exported to Mexico. Beginning November 4, 2024, no wet-signed 9060-5 series export certificates, including letterhead certificates, will be issued for meat and poultry products for export to Mexico.

Industry is strongly encouraged to use the ITE to test application submittals for export to Mexico. Testing instructions for industry are available on the FSIS website, PHIS Components page, under Information for Industry. Please note that an electronic identification account with identity verification steps is required for all persons who will access PHIS, for both the test environment and the live production environment. User accounts are disabled for those who have not used PHIS in 60 days. For those new to the PHIS export component, please register with Login.gov to initiate, update, or complete the electronic identification account and the PHIS enrollment process. Instructions can be found in the PHIS Industry User Guide, section 2 (Overview of PHIS).

As noted in previous Constituent Updates, industry is strongly encouraged to ensure establishment information in PHIS is aligned with Mexico's approved establishment list. Misaligned information risks held or rejected shipments upon Mexico's implementation in PHIS.

For further guidance on PHIS export and enrollment, please refer to the following user guides:

• PHIS Industry User Guide
• Editing 9060 Records Quick Reference Guide
• PHIS Quick Reference Guide for Corporate and Establishment Management

Please contact [email protected] with questions regarding these changes. Technical questions can be directed to [email protected].

Upcoming Events

• National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods Meetings: September 24, 10 AM-12 PM ET, and September 26, 2024, 4 PM-5 PM ET.

Available for Public Comment

FSIS seeks public comments on proposed rules and notices, which are viewable on the FSIS Federal Register & Rulemaking webpage. FSIS is currently seeking comments on the following:

• Until September 20, 2024: Notice of Request To Renew an Approved Information Collection: Petitions for Rulemaking
• Until November 7, 2024: Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products
• Until November 12, 2024: Availability of FSIS Guideline on Substantiating Animal-Raising or Environment-Related Labeling Claims
• Until November 12, 2024: Notice of Request to Renew an Approved Information Collection: Accredited Laboratories

Policy Update

FSIS notices and directives on public health and regulatory issues are available on the FSIS Policy webpage. The following policy update was recently issued:

FSIS Notice 36-24 - Public Health Information System New Poultry Inspection System Disposition Task and Questionnaire

Export Requirements Update

The Library of Export Requirements has been updated for products for the following:

• Switzerland
• Japan
• Kuwait
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• New Caldeonia
• Mexico
• Solomon Islands
• St. Lucia
• Curacao
• Colombia
• French Polynesia (Tahiti)
• India
• Turks & Caicos Islands
• Qatar
• Ecuador
• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Honduras
• Tunisia

Complete information can be found at the FSIS Import & Export Library.

Last Updated: Sep 20, 2024