[AIB July/August News]

Salmonella Results for Egg Products Now Posted

FSIS is posting results from the testing program of pasteurized egg products for Salmonella. The responsibility for regulating pasteurized liquid, frozen or dried egg products was transferred from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to FSIS in 1995. In the first year of testing, the prevalence of Salmonella detected in the combined results from the egg products project was 1.63 percent. With few exceptions, the percent positive rate for Salmonella in pasteurized egg products has dropped each year since then. This past year, results for pasteurized egg products testing show a decrease down to 0.07.

The posting also includes the serotype data, which can be viewed at www.fsis.usda.gov.

Food Safety Inspection Service Posts New Podcast on Food Defense

FSIS released a podcast titled “Developing Food Defense Plans” to help plant owners and operators learn the importance of developing a solid plan through a three-step process.

A food defense plan also helps to maintain a safe working environment for employees, provide a quality product to customers and is particularly helpful during emergencies.

You can find the podcast at FSIS’s Web site www.fsis.usda.gov.

HHS Announces New International Programs to Enhance Food Safety

In July, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavit announced two programs designed to enhance the safety of food and medical products exported to the United States. He described the twin initiatives as the latest steps in a fundamental, government-wide shift to implement the Interagency Import Safety Action Plan finalized in November 2007.

Historically, U.S. authorities have primarily relied on intervening at the border to intercept unsafe goods. The new strategy calls for actively working with trading partners to help ensure they build quality into every step of a product’s life cycle, targeting critical points where risk is greatest, and focusing attention and resources on these areas.

The first initiative is a pilot project FDA is undertaking with its counterparts in the European Union and Australia to jointly plan, allocate for, and conduct inspections of drug-manufacturing facilities. The project will initially focus on makers of active pharmaceutical ingredients. If successful, this program could expand to include other types of manufacturing facilities. The novel collaboration will allow HHS/FDA to more fully take advantage of information gathered by trusted inspection and regulatory systems in other countries.

The second initiative is a third-party certification pilot program involving aquacultured (farm-raised) shrimp. HHS/FDA is seeking the participation of certification bodies that currently certify foreign processors of aquacultured shrimp for compliance with the FDA’s seafood regulations. The project is designed to help HHS/FDA learn how to evaluate third-party certification programs and implement them in the field — a key part of leveraging the additional resources of the private sector and other regulators.

AIB Calendar

AIB is holding a variety of educational seminars throughout North America. To learn more about any of the seminars listed at right, visit www.aibonline.org. All dates are subject to change without notice.

Sept. 9-10
Food Plant GMP/Sanitation Workshop
Atlanta, Ga.
 
Sept. 11-12
HACCP Workshop
Atlanta, Ga.
 
Sept. 15-16
Train the Trainer
Chicago, Ill.

Sept 16-18
An Integrated Quality
System for the Industry
Chicago, Ill.
 
Sept. 16-17
Atelier BPM/Hygiène Alimentaire
Montreal, Quebec
 
Sept. 17-19
Food Defense
Coordinator
Orlando, Fla.

Sept. 17-18
Train the Trainer
Philadelphia, Pa.
 
Sept. 18-19 
Atelier HACCP
Montreal, Quebec
 
Sept. 30-Oct. 2
Organic Certification with a Foundation in Food Safety
Ontario, Calif.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1
Fundamentals of Internal Auditing for the Food Industry
Louisville, Ky.
 
Oct. 7 
Developing and Implementing a Sanitation Program
Ontario, Calif.