On January 19, a report by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) was published in the Journal of Food Protection.

The report, “Response to Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service: Enhancing Salmonella Control in Poultry Products” was, adopted on November 15, 2022, and revised in response to public comments on March 13, 2023.

NACMCF provides impartial scientific advice to federal food safety agencies, including FSIS, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Department of Defense's Veterinary Services. NACMCF reports often serve as foundations for regulations and programs aimed at reducing foodborne disease and enhancing public health.

FSIS Posts Updated Quarterly Humane Handling Datasets

On January 24, FSIS updated the quarterly humane handling inspection datasets on its website. The datasets include: (1) the number of administrative enforcement actions taken; (2) the number of humane handling verification tasks performed; (3) the number of humane handling verification tasks that resulted in a noncompliance record (NR); and (4) the number of hours spent observing and verifying the humane treatment of livestock. This posting contains the most recent four quarters of data by district, HACCP size, and quarter.

FSIS Posts Quarterly Sampling Data

FSIS has updated the following quarterly sampling data sets:

• Quarterly Sampling Results - The quarterly sampling reports were updated to include results through the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2024. FSIS calculates prevalence, volume weighted percent positive, or percent positive calculations for microbial pathogens in FSIS regulated products that are currently sampled through existing projects using the prior 12 months of sampling data. This posting includes results for raw beef, raw pork, raw chicken, raw turkey, processed eggs, and ready-to-eat products.
• Quarterly Sampling Reports on Antimicrobial Resistance Profile - The quarterly sampling reports for Antimicrobial Resistance Profile data were updated to include results through the fourth quarter of FY 2023. This data release includes the sampling projects and pathogens reported under the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS). It also includes the antimicrobial resistance data on the pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), including E. coli O157:H7, isolate counts and resistance profile by FSIS product and cecal categories.
• Quarterly Sampling Reports for Salmonella Serotype Information - The quarterly sampling reports for Salmonella serotype information were updated to include results through the fourth quarter of FY 2023. This post includes quarterly Salmonella serotype data for Salmonella isolates collected from FSIS product categories.

Due to a delay in residue reporting, FSIS will update the following quarterly sampling data set on February 2, 2024:

• Quarterly U.S. National Residue Sampling Report – The residue sampling data will be available for the first quarter FY 2024. The report will cover domestic (scheduled and inspector-generated) and import sampling programs.

Tips for the Label Approval Process

Labels are currently taking about 2-4 business days to evaluate.

TIP: Understanding the distinction between the claims “no artificial colors” and “not artificially colored” will facilitate the label approval process.

Color additives fall into two categories: those that are subject to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) certification process (21 CFR 70.3(f)) and those that are exempt from the certification process. Color additives subject to certification are considered “artificial colors” and are synthetic organic dyes, lakes, or pigments. These color additives require listing by their common and usual name (e.g., FD&C Blue No. 1, Blue 1, or Blue 1 Lake.) The claim “no artificial colors” on meat and poultry labels means that the product does not contain any of these synthetic coloring agents.

A product that is free from artificial colors may contain color additives that are exempt from certification, also known as “natural colors.” Examples of natural colors include those derived from plant or mineral sources such as beet juice, carrot juice, annatto and caramel color that have other technical functions in food, such as flavor, but are considered color additives when their use results in an alteration of the color of the final product. Common spices that impart color include paprika, turmeric, saffron, and their extractives. Note that spices that impart color must be declared as “spices and coloring” or “flavoring and coloring” in the ingredient statement on meat and poultry labels unless the specific spice or spice extractive is named by their common or usual name.

The claim “not artificially colored” prohibits the use of artificial colors and natural colors because any color added will alter the appearance by artificially coloring the product. Labeling must declare that the product is artificially colored as part of a product name qualifier (e.g., “artificially colored” or “colored with annatto”) in accordance with 9 CFR 317.2(j)(9) and 9 CFR 381.119(b). Therefore, the claim “not artificially colored” means that no color additive, natural or synthetic, has been used to impart or alter the color of the product.

Establishments using labels on products that include natural color additives and a claim such as “no artificial color” should clearly identify the source of the natural color in the labeling record so the accuracy of the claim can be verified during label approval or other label verification activities. For more information, please see the “Artificially Colored Products” entry in the Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book.

FSIS will continue to provide updates regarding label turnaround time, as well as suggestions to assist industry to streamline label submissions in its Constituent Update.

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 February 13, 2024: Notice of Request for a New Information Collection: Web-Based Surveys

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 05-24 - Additional Sampling Instructions and Testing for Chicken Carcasses, Chicken Parts, and NRTE Comminuted Poultry

FSIS Notice 04-24 - Discontinuance of the Emergency Backup Dependent Care Program

FSIS Directive 10240.6 - Use of Whole Genome Sequencing Results for FSIS Ready-To-Eat Sampling Programs

Export Requirements Update

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

• Dominican Republic
• Panama
• Turkey
• Western Samoa (Samoa)
• Mexico
• Kuwait
• Vietnam
• North Macedonia
• Singapore
• Japan
• South Africa
• Nicaragua
• Canada
• Namibia
• Azerbaijan
• Honduras
• Philippines

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