The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is requesting comment on proposed pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella in raw ground and mechanically separated pork and raw pork cuts. FSIS is also requesting comment on how it plans to assess whether establishments producing these products are effectively addressing Salmonellausing a moving window of FSIS sampling results.
If the proposed pathogen reduction performance standards are finalized, about one year after FSIS starts assessing whether establishments meet the standards, FSIS would determine individual establishment performance based on the previous 52 weeks of FSIS Salmonellasample results and then report on the FSIS website the category of each establishment subject to the performance standard.
FSIS invites interested persons to submit comments on this notice, which published in the Federal Register on Feb. 16. All comments must be submitted by April 18. Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: This website provides commenters the ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on the web page or to attach a file for lengthier comments. Follow the on-line instructions at that site for submitting comments.
- Mail: Send to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mailstop 3758, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
- Hand- or courier-delivered submittals: 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 350-E, Washington, DC 20250-3700.
More information on the proposed rule is available here.
[Source: 23 Feb 2022 Dr. Abbey Canon.