WASHINGTON – The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Wednesday released new directives on revised emergency procedures, significant incident response and sanitation verification review.

Directive 5420.4, revision 5, gives details for the Import Inspection Division of the Office of International Affairs (OIA) and FSIS personnel need to follow when the Department of Homeland Security declares a condition yellow, orange or red. The full directive can be read at www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISDirectives/5420.4Rev5.pdf.

Directive 5500.2, revision 3, outlines the procedures that the Emergency Management Committee (EMC) is to follow while managing significant incidents that may adversely impact food security and public health.

The directive renames the Non Routine Incident Management System to FSIS Incident Management System (FIMS), incorporates information on utilizing FIMS to track and manage significant incidents and clarifies the definitions of alerts and significant incidents. It can be read in full at www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISDirectives/5500.2Rev3.pdf.

A new directive, Directive 5000.4, instructs inspection personnel on how to perform the review portion of PBIS Procedure 01B02 pre-operational (pre-op) sanitation verification in establishments that process meat and poultry carcasses and parts. FSIS personnel will focus their inspection efforts on those processing areas and equipment that present the highest risk of becoming insanitary or of being the site, or causing, product contamination. It can be seen at www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISDirectives/5000.4.pdf.

 

Source: American Meat Institute