HACCP Reassessment Mandated for Raw Ground Chicken and Turkey Producers
FSIS said the reassessments must be conducted within 90 days and "must account for several Salmonella outbreaks that were associated with those types of products."
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Dec. 5 that companies producing raw ground chicken and turkey and similar products will be required to reassess their Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans. The HACCP reassessment must be done within the next 90 days and must account for several Salmonella outbreaks that were associated with those types of products, according to the announcement.
"HACCP reassessments improve a company's ability to identify hazards and better prevent foodborne illness," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "Incorporating information obtained from Salmonella outbreaks will enhance food safety efforts, helping to avoid future outbreaks and ensure a safer food supply for consumers."
FSIS also announced it will:
- Expand the Salmonella verification sampling program to include other raw comminuted poultry products, in addition to ground product
- Increase the sample size for laboratory analysis from 25 grams to 325 grams to provide consistency as the agency moves toward analyzing samples for Salmonella and Campylobacter
- Conduct sampling to determine the prevalence of Salmonella in not-ready-to-eat comminuted poultry products and use the results to develop new performance standards for those products
The policy notice announced today will be posted at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/ federal_register_publications_&_related_documents/index.asp, and comments can be submitted at www.regulations.gov. Stakeholders interested in mailing their comments should send them to: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) FSIS, Docket Clerk, Patriots Plaza 3, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 8-163A, Mailstop 3782, Washington, D.C. 20250-3700. All items submitted by mail or electronic mail must include the agency name and docket number FSIS-2012-0007.