Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 7/3/18



USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a new directive to help its inspectors improve their verification of what the agency describes as Good Commercial Practices (GCP) at poultry slaughterhouses.

The FSIS document offers guidelines on gathering and assessing information when verifying GCP, clarifies that video can be used as part of a GCP record and provides instructions on writing GCP reports. The directive also offers instructions to District Veterinary Medical Specialists on how to improve their reviews of noncompliance records and interviews with poultry plant personnel.

FSIS also offers specific clarifications on such issues like whether regulatory control action is warranted when inspectors see a single bird enter a poultry scalding tank while still breathing (not necessarily is part of the official answer). It also offers an example of a GCP noncompliance record as a guide for FSIS personnel.

The agency also provides a way to submit questions about the directive within the document through the askFSIS website or by phone.

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