USDA-FSIS Report 2010 Fall Executive Board Conference for Food Protection

1. USDA-FSIS Report2010 Fall Executive Board Conference for Food Protection John M. Hicks, Jr., DVM, MPH Risk and Innovations Management Division Office of Policy and Program Development Food Safety Inspection Service U.S. Department of Agriculture

2. Update on Organizational Changes

3. Update on Organizational Changes • Dr. Elizabeth Hagen was sworn in on August 20th as the Under Secretary for Food Safety • Dr. Daniel Engeljohn is Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD)

4. Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) Measures

5. FSIS FSWG Metrics Food Supply Chain Intervention Points • Distribution Center Storage & Handling • Retail & Food Service Storage, Handling & Preparation (restaurant exposure) • Home Storage and Preparation (home exposure) • Public Health Surveillance and Outbreak Response

6. Distribution Center Storage & Handling • FSWG metric • Percent of retail and foodservice establishments with adequate controls for key foodborne illness risk factors • Metric • Percent of high-risk in-commerce businesses determined during FSIS surveillance to be operating with insanitary conditions or inadequate hazard controls to prevent amenable products from becoming adulterated or otherwise injurious to health • Baseline measure for FY 2009 is 5.84% • Objective for FY 2010 is 5.61%, FY 2011 is 5.42%, FY 2012 is 5.28%, FY 2013 is 5.17%, FY 2014 5.09, and FY 2015 is 5.02% * See Notes Page

7. Retail & Food Service Storage, Handling & Preparation • FSWG metric • Prevalence of selected foodborne hazards in key food commodity groups • Metric • Prevalence of FSIS-regulated pathogens in meat and poultry products at retail.* (e.g. Listeria monocytogenes in RTE products) *No data currently collected for this measure.

8. Home Storage and Preparation(Home Exposure) • FSWG metric • Proportion of consumers who follow key food safety practices • Metric • Proportion of consumers who follow the four key food safety practices • Clean • Separate • Cook • chill

9. Public Health Surveillance and Outbreak Response(Surveillance, Risk Analysis, Inspection and Enforcement) • FSWG metric • Number and percent of foodborne illnesses attributed to specific food commodity types. • Metric • Percent of Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes illnesses attributed to FSIS-regulated meat, poultry, and processed egg products • Total number of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 illnesses from products regulated by FSIS (All-Illness Measure) • Reduce the rate of Salmonella cases leading to a reduction of 50,000 illnesses and a cost savings of $900 million

10. Public Health Surveillance and Outbreak Response(Response and Recovery) • FSWG metric • Effectiveness of food safety recalls as measured by annual average percent of recalled product available in commerce a specified number of days following recall initiation, depending on recall class • Effective early sharing (within hours of first detection) of key foodborne illness data to enhance responsiveness of principal and supporting agencies

11. Public Health Surveillance and Outbreak Response(Response and Recovery) • FSWG metric (continued) • Percent of outbreaks or contamination events for which trace back successfully identifies the source of contamination along the food supply chain • Median number of days from initiation of an FSIS investigation to initiation of an in-plant "For Cause" FSA and related testing

12. Labeling of Mechanically Tenderized Beef

13. Labeling of Mechanically Tenderized Beef • Letter from CFP, encouraging FSIS to promulgate regulations to require that packers and processors of mechanically tenderized beef cuts label these products to identify that they have been pinned, bladed, or otherwise mechanically manipulated in a way that tenderizes the meat by penetrating the intact muscle • Action requested in the letter would require that FSIS amend the meat and poultry products inspection regulations, the request is being considered as a rulemaking petition • Referred to the Office of Policy and Program Development for review, and it has been assigned petition number 10-04

14. Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Food Meat Cheese Salad

15. Listeria monocytogenes in Retail • The Interagency Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Risk Assessment is well underway. • The risk assessment model framework has been developed and the model is fully operational. • A contract has been awarded to peer review the model framework. • FSIS is currently working with states, stakeholders and academia to garner data to conduct the risk assessment to guide FSIS policies.

16. Listeria monocytogenes in Retail (continued) To address data gaps in the model, the following contracts have been awarded to: • Cornell University – for an expert elicitation of high risk areas in retail deli departments, the development of a “risk map” of Listeria monocytogenes in retail deli environments, and the conduct of a longitudinal study to understand the transmission of Listeria monocytogenes in the deli environment over time. • Virginia Tech - for the development of a “mock deli” which will be used to provide data on Listeria monocytogenes transmission and to identify retail risk factors. • CDC EHS-Net - to conduct a nationwide observational study of food employees handling practices in retail deli departments.

17. Listeria monocytogenes in Retail (continued) FSIS is in the process of fostering a partnership with state and local agencies in a proactive approach to improving food safety at retail

18. Recalls

19. Recalls • Along with five federal partners, we launched a one-stop Web site, http://www.recalls.gov, which pulls together U.S. government recalls. • To empower consumers with food-safety information, we also launched http://www.foodsafety.gov, where consumers can learn about critical steps they can take to prevent illness, such as safe cooking temperatures. • Earlier this month we introduced the U.S. Government's Products Recall app, which puts information about any recalled products — including foods — at consumers' fingertips

20. Sampling Programs

21. ALLRTE and RTE001 Sampling Program Review of ALLRTE and RTE001 Sampling Results for Salmonella species, CY 2005 Through 2008

22. There were low incidences of Salmonella-positive samples from the ALLRTE and RTE001 sampling programs relative to the total numbers of samples collected in 2005-2008. Positive product results ranged from 0 to 0.13% (avg. 0.07%) for ALLRTE samples, and from 0.01% to 0.08% (avg. 0.04%) for RTE001 samples. Percentages of establishments with Salmonella-positive samples averaged 0.13% for ALLRTE and 0.24% for RTE001. Head cheese, pork barbecue and sausage products were the sources of about half of all 22 Salmonella-positive samples. Serogrouping and serotyping of 23 Salmonella isolates yielded 17 distinct serotypes within 8 serogroups. ALLRTE and RTE001 Sampling Program 22

23. All but one of the Salmonella-positive samples were obtained from establishments with HACCP sizes of Small or Very Small. Salmonella-positive samples were most commonly found in establishments with production volumes in the range of 10,000-1,000,000 pounds per year. Results of analysis based on Lm control alternatives showed that most positive samples were obtained from establishments employing control Alternatives 3 and 2b. Positive Salmonella samples could be found in all geographic regions except the Southwest and at all times of the year. ALLRTE and RTE001 Sampling Program 23

24. RLM and IVT Programs for Lm from RTE Establishments Review of Data from FSIS RLM and IVT Programs for LM from RTE Establishments

25. From 2005-2008 0.83% of RLm samples and 3.67% of IVT samples were positive. RLm positives decreased slightly from 1.13% to 0.98%, while IVT positives decreased from 5.36% to 3.67%. Sites with the highest percent positives included multi component and salad products for product samples, bowls and containers for food contact samples, and floor mats and drains for environmental samples. The highest percentage of positives (IVT) were found in small and very small establishments and mid volume establishments. RLM and IVT Programs for Lm from RTE Establishments 25

26. Percent positives fluctuated by month, with some increases seen during the summer months. Higher percentages of positives were seen in Alternative 2 establishments, which may have been due to fewer samples collected in those establishments. Comparing the PFGE patterns showed that the most unique patterns were found in environmental surfaces, and they can be an important contributor of product contamination. RLM and IVT Programs for Lm from RTE Establishments 26

27. Training

28. Meat and Poultry Products at RetailTraining Course This course will enable attendees to identify and effectively address issues about meat and poultry products that are commonly encountered by retail food inspectors. Specifically, attendees will: • Learn how Federal regulation of meat and poultry affects products sold in retail stores under state and local law (using the Food Code) • Become familiar with all varieties of meat and poultry products found in retail stores; the kinds of processing that may take place at retail; and the hazards to look for • Know how to access resources and reference materials and get assistance on meat and poultry issues • Know how to ensure that food safety hazards in the store are being controlled and product held for sale is not adulterated or mislabeled