Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 5/29/18



USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing amending the federal meat inspection regulations to remove a redundant requirement for slaughter establishments to clean hog carcasses before incising.

Facilities are now required to have a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system that identifies potential biological, chemical or physical hazards, and the controls to prevent those hazards at specific points in the process. Since 1997, establishments have been required to address hazards in their HACCP plans, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs) or prerequisite programs and these advancements have made the outdated regulation redundant, FSIS said.
“It’s a practice of good government to regularly review regulations on the books, especially older ones, to ensure they are still relevant and achieving their intended purpose,” said Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Carmen Rottenberg.

“Removing outdated and duplicative regulations, such as this one, will continue to be our focus as we seek to streamline our regulations and get them in line with HACCP principles.”

In addition, this regulation has required hog carcass cleaning to be done at a certain point in the process instead of allowing establishments to clean the carcass at the point that makes the most sense based on the configuration of the establishment, FSIS said.

Under this proposal, FSIS inspectors will continue to verify that establishments’ HACCP plans are effective in controlling, reducing or eliminating hazards at all control points in the production process.

FSIS is requesting public comment on the proposed rule to remove the redundant regulation.

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