EVALUATING THE EQUIVALENCE OF FOREIGN MEAT AND POULTRY FOOD REGULATORY SYSTEMS

EVALUATING THE EQUIVALENCE OF EVALUATING THE EQUIVALENCE OF FOREIGN MEAT AND POULTRY FOOD FOREIGN MEAT AND POULTRY FOOD

REGULATORY SYSTEMSREGULATORY SYSTEMS

Port of Entry ReinspectionPort of Entry Reinspection

Food Safety and Inspection ServiceFood Safety and Inspection Service

USDA - Food Safety and Inspection Service

SystemAudit

Port-of-EntryReinspection

DocumentAnalysis

Triangulation of Data

for

Foreign Inspection System Equivalence

Evaluations

EQUIVALENCE


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION

In 1999, the United States imported approximately 3.3 billion pounds of meat and poultry from 31 countries.

– 86 % Fresh Red Meat • manufacturing, carcasses and cuts

– 1 % Fresh Poultry– 13 % Processed Meat/Poultry



In 1999, the United States imported almost 5.4 million pounds of egg products from Canada.

– 89.9 % Liquid– 8.5 % Frozen– 1.6 % Dried


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION% Meat and Poultry Imported into U.S. in 1999% Meat and Poultry Imported into U.S. in 1999

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

Other

49.8 %13.6%

21.8%

14.8%



FSIS reinspects meat and poultry products at ports of entry before they are allowed into U.S. commerce.



About 75 FSIS import inspectors carry out reinspection at approximately 150 official import establishments.




All shipments are reinspected for:

• Transportation damage

• Labeling

• Proper certification

• General condition

• Box count



Additional Types of Inspection (TOI) are assigned, depending upon the type of product being presented.


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExamples of “Types of Inspection”:Examples of “Types of Inspection”: Examination for product defects Laboratory analyses

– microbiological contamination– chemical residues– food chemistry– species identification

Net weight checks Condition of container



Reinspection is performance-based:

Better performing foreign establishments have their products reinspected less frequently.


AUTOMATED IMPORT AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS)INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS)

Centralized database that links ports of entry

Stores reinspection results

Provides a record of how each exporting country maintains inspection controls



The system has the ability to:

Develop complete compliance records for each country and establishment exporting to the United States.




Develop comprehensive product histories by establishment.




Increase/decrease reinspection of products by country or establishment.



The system’s import categories:

Canned Product– Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination

Fresh Product– Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination


AUTOMATED IMPORT AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS)INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS)(continued)


Cooked Product– Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination

Cured Product– Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination


AUTOMATED IMPORT AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS)INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS)(continued)


Horse (all)



TOIs for COOKED BEEF, FROZEN (BHMGAQ)

Product Exam– Boneless Meat for Manufacturing

Laboratory-Listeria Laboratory-Salmonella Laboratory-Species



Products meeting U.S. requirements

are stamped with the

“official mark of inspection.”


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONREFUSED ENTRYREFUSED ENTRY

Product not meet U.S. requirements is stamped “REFUSED “REFUSED ENTRY.”ENTRY.”

OPTIONS: Exported from the United States Destroyed Converted to animal food



ReinspectionReinspection occurs at one of four levels:

“Normal” level “SKIP-1” level “SKIP-2” level “Tighten and Hold” level



““NORMAL”NORMAL” level:

ALLALL lots are reinspected



““SKIP-1”SKIP-1” level:

1 out of every 4 lots is reinspectedEach lot eligible for the “skip-1” has one

in four chances of being reinspected



““SKIP-2”SKIP-2” level:

1 of every 12 lots is reinspectedEach lot eligible for “skip-2” has a one in

12 chance of being reinspected



““TIGHTEN AND HOLD”TIGHTEN AND HOLD” Level:

Shipments are held by FSIS pending test results



Previous Example: COOKED BEEF, FROZENProduct Exam

– Boneless Meat for Manufacturing

Uses AQL-1 Switching Rule to move between the three inspection levels: Normal, Skip-1 and Skip-2



Switching Rule

An algorithm that specifies the conditions for transition between inspection levels.


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExample of Switching RulesExample of Switching Rules

AQL 1 RULEAQL 1 RULE

Based on: the inspector’s determination of a specific lot the accumulation of defects

– NO critical defect in the last 3000 pounds– NO major defect in the last 1600 pounds

If lot fails, sampling returns to NORMAL



Previous Example: COOKED BEEF, FROZEN Laboratory-Listeria Laboratory-Salmonella Laboratory-Species

Uses Lab Pass/Fail Switching Rule to move between the three inspection levels: Normal, Skip-1 and Skip-2


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExample of Switching RulesExample of Switching RulesPASS/FAIL LABORATORY ANALYSIS RULEPASS/FAIL LABORATORY ANALYSIS RULE

If residue or microbiological analysis fails, foreign establishment placed on “tighten and hold” for 15 consecutive shipments pass within 180 days.


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExample of Switching RulesExample of Switching RulesPASS/FAIL LABORATORY ANALYSIS RULEPASS/FAIL LABORATORY ANALYSIS RULE

If species analysis fails, foreign establishment placed on “tighten and hold” for 10 consecutive shipments pass within 180 days.


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONResidue ControlsResidue Controls

FSIS randomly samples products at ports of entry for chemical residue analysis.


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONResidue ControlsResidue Controls

Compounds adjusted annually Sampling frequency adjusted annually Initial sampling rate based on the volume of product imported the previous year Decisions about product acceptability are based on U.S. tolerances or action levels


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONMicrobiological ControlsMicrobiological Controls

FSIS randomly samples specific products at ports of entry for microbiological analysis, including:

Listeria monocytogenes Salmonella Escherichia coli 0157:H7 Staphylococcal aureus enterotoxin



REPORTED LABORATORY VIOLATIONS 1998REPORTED LABORATORY VIOLATIONS 1998

Residue SamplesResidue Samples

– SulfonamidesSulfonamides 1111– AntibioticsAntibiotics 11

Microbiological SamplesMicrobiological Samples– Listeria monocytogenesListeria monocytogenes 1919– SalmonellaSalmonella 7 7



LABORATORY VIOLATIONSLABORATORY VIOLATIONS

Electronic results reported from laboratoryElectronic results reported from laboratory Controls initiatedControls initiated

– within United Stateswithin United States– in the foreign countryin the foreign country




Controls in United StatesControls in United States

Foreign establishment immediately placed on Foreign establishment immediately placed on TIGHTEN & HOLDTIGHTEN & HOLD

Determine location of product in the U.S.Determine location of product in the U.S.– at an import establishment at an import establishment – at an FSIS inspected processing establishmentat an FSIS inspected processing establishment– in distribution in distribution




Controls in Foreign CountryControls in Foreign Country

FSIS notifies foreign inspection serviceFSIS notifies foreign inspection service– requests additional information related to requests additional information related to

production lotproduction lot– requests an investigation of the causerequests an investigation of the cause– requests report of the investigation and requests report of the investigation and

appropriate corrective actionappropriate corrective action


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONPORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONLaboratory ViolationsLaboratory Violations

Repeat ViolationsRepeat Violations

(more than one from same country)(more than one from same country)

Indicator that something is potentially wrong Indicator that something is potentially wrong with the controls in the foreign country.with the controls in the foreign country.


PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

Port of Entry reinspection data provides a record of the effectiveness of the foreign inspection system.

Provides data which enables FSIS to shift reinspection and audit resources to foreign inspection systems with potential health risks.


SystemAudit

Port-of-EntryReinspection

DocumentAnalysis

Triangulation of Data

for

Foreign Inspection System Equivalence

Evaluations

EQUIVALENCE


Documents

EVALUATING THE EQUIVALENCE OF FOREIGN MEAT AND POULTRY FOOD REGULATORY SYSTEMS