Dec 15, 2015

By: Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, FMI Vice President, Food Safety Programs, Nutrient Marketing Plant and Stephanie Barnes, Regulatory Counsel, Nutrient Marketing Institute
Ground Meat_new

Updated October 3, 2016

Compliance for the FSIS ground meat tape keeping dominion begins October 1, 2016. On Midweek, September 28, 2016, FSIS published a Notice 75-16 to inform Inspection Personnel how to verify whether official establishments and retail stores are maintaining required records concerning suppliers and source materials for raw beef ground at the institution or retail shop. FSIS has also posted to their website a Question and Reply document on the Grinding Records Rule.

The Final Rule, "Records to exist Kept by Official Establishments and Retail Stores that Grind Raw Beef Products" went into upshot June twenty, 2016 with an enforcement date of October ane, 2016. The delayed enforcement date provided FSIS boosted time for outreach to help establishments with compliance. FSIS held a webinar for FMI to share information about the final rule and answer questions from FMI members. View the slides from the webinar FSIS provided to FMI Members hither. FSIS is currently developing a compliance guide and responses to common questions, which will be published on FSIS' website.

On Monday, December fourteen, 2015, the United States Section of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) released a final rule amending its recordkeeping regulations for all official establishments and retail stores that grind raw beef products for sale in commerce.

Among the rule'southward requirements, retail establishments must maintain the following records:

  • The establishment numbers of establishments supplying material used to ready each lot of raw ground beef production;
  • All supplier lot numbers and production dates;
  • The names of the supplied materials, including beef components and whatsoever materials carried over from i production lot to the next;
  • The date and time each lot of raw basis beef production is produced; and
  • The appointment and time when grinding equipment and other related food-contact surfaces are cleaned and sanitized.

FMI has a long-standing relationship with FSIS and has been working with the agency since 2009 when FSIS officials provided guidance to the retail industry stating that retail stores should continue advisable records to assistance in investigations involving FSIS-regulated products associated with foodborne illnesses and other food safety incidents. Following the guidance, FSIS released a proposed rule on July 22, 2014. FMI submitted extensive comments on the proposed rule and hosted ii store tours with officials from FSIS and the Office of Management and Upkeep. During these meetings, FMI explained the economic touch of USDA'southward meat grinding requirements on the supermarket industry and stressed the need for a simplified recordkeeping process, such every bit FMI'south All-time Practices Guide and Sample Record adult past FMI's members and nutrient safe team. FMI also urged FSIS to consider the significant economical affect of the proposed rule, including the time required to comply with the recordkeeping requirements.

Changes from the Proposed Rule

In response to FMI comments and stakeholder input, FSIS is not adopting two requirements that were in the 2014 proposed rule. First, establishments and retail stores volition not have to maintain records concerning the weight of each source component. Additionally, FSIS is not requiring that establishments maintain records of the names, points of contact, and telephone numbers of each official establishment. FSIS also shortened the recordkeeping retention fourth dimension from two years to one yr later the date of the recorded grinding activity.

FMI compiled a regulatory alert upon the release of the concluding rule, and we will continue to provide boosted resources, including a sample recordkeeping form based on the requirements in the final rule. For more information, please contact Stephanie Barnes or Hilary Thesmar.