[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 61 (Monday, March 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15154-15155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7996]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-002N]


Solicitations for Bids on Proposals Relating to FSIS's Farm to 
Table Strategy

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced in 
the Commerce Business Daily a series of solicitations for bids 
concerning animal production practices as they relate to food safety. 
Four of these solicitations consist of demonstrating voluntarily 
implemented pre-slaughter practices that reduce contaminants in or on 
food animals presented for slaughter and enhance the ability of 
slaughter establishments to meet pathogen reduction performance 
standards and institute sound risk-based HACCP plans for incoming 
animals. The interest areas are pork, poultry, non-fed beef and sheep. 
A fifth project is to learn what training methodologies have been 
effective in improving food animal production safety practices. A sixth 
project is to support a survey of small producers to determine producer 
needs as slaughter establishments develop pathogen reduction HACCP 
systems.

ADDRESSES: Solicitation packages may be requested from Julie Adams, 
Head, Acquisition Agreements Section, Room 2161, South Agriculture 
Building, FSIS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; FAX (202) 690-1814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Refer to the Commerce Business Daily, 
dated 2/27/97, page 4.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In the final rule, ``Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and 
Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems'' (61 FR 38806), published on 
July 25, 1996, FSIS discussed its farm-to-table food safety strategy 
(61 FR 38810). This strategy focuses on the control of food safety 
hazards throughout the continuum of animal production, slaughter and 
processing, distribution, and sale of meat and poultry products. FSIS 
has historically focused on the manufacturing of meat and poultry 
products through its inspection program; however, the Agency's public 
health mandate requires that it also consider the pre- and post-
processing hazards as part of a comprehensive strategy to prevent 
foodborne illness.
    The farm-to-table food safety strategy is founded on three 
principles:
     Hazards that could result in foodborne illness arise at 
each stage of the farm-to-table continuum: animal production and 
slaughter, and the processing, transportation, storage, and retail, 
restaurant, or food service sale of meat and poultry products. Each 
stage presents hazards of pathogen and other contamination and each 
provides opportunities for minimizing the effect of those hazards.
     Those in control of each segment of the farm-to-table 
continuum bear responsibility for identifying and preventing or 
reducing food safety hazards that are under their operational control.

[[Page 15155]]

     The Agency's public health mandate requires that it 
address foodborne illness hazards within each segment of the food 
production chain and implement or encourage preventive strategies that 
improve the whole system.
    As part of this farm-to-table strategy, FSIS is interested in 
supporting a series of pilot demonstration projects which may assist 
food animal producers, markets, the slaughter and processing industry, 
and the Agency in meeting food safety challenges in a preventive HACCP 
framework. These projects are intended to develop and foster voluntary 
food safety measures that can reasonably be taken on the farm, through 
marketing channels, and during preslaughter preparation to decrease 
public health hazards in animals presented for slaughter.
    Therefore, the Agency has announced in the Commerce Business Daily 
a series of solicitations for bid on proposals to gain information 
concerning animal production practices as they pertain to food safety. 
Briefly, these solicitations are as follows:

Proposals 1-4--Pathogen Reduction in Four Species

    FSIS is interested in funding pilot projects that use risk 
assessment strategies to demonstrate the application, feasibility, and 
effectiveness of current technologies for controlling contaminants and 
that emphasize pre-slaughter pathogen reduction. Multi-disciplinary 
teams in multiple geographical locations are required. Projects must 
demonstrate multi-geographical and multi-seasonal applicability.
    There are four project/species areas of interest: pork, poultry, 
non-fed beef, and sheep. For poultry, there is information available on 
intervention methods used to reduce pathogens in/on poultry during 
production and transportation to slaughter. A possible approach would 
be to demonstrate whether or not multi-faceted (two or more) risk 
reduction practices carried out pre-slaughter could reliably reduce 
carcass contamination. With regard to pork, non-fed beef, and sheep, 
the Agency is interested in learning the relationship of current 
production practices to the incidence of pathogens in slaughter 
facilities. Using animal identification techniques to improve 
information-sharing between production and slaughter/processing 
entities is required for non-fed beef and encouraged for pork and 
sheep.

Proposal 5--Training for Food Animal Producers

    FSIS is also interested in learning which training methodologies 
will work best to maximize the effectiveness of future food safety 
initiatives directed at food animal producers, particularly small 
producers. The purpose of these programs is to improve the ability of 
food animal producers to maintain sustainable operations as they 
address requirements of slaughter establishments implementing 
preventive HACCP systems and other food safety responsibilities.

Proposal 6--Survey of Small Producer HACCP Needs

    FSIS is interested in supporting a survey of small producers and 
small and very small slaughter establishments. The purpose of the 
survey is to determine the needs of producers who supply slaughter 
establishments as these establishments consider developing pathogen 
reduction and HACCP systems. Proposals should address multiple 
geographic locations with a focus on disadvantaged areas and various 
slaughter classes. The evaluation must include access to and use of 
veterinary services, knowledge and implementation of commodity food 
safety/quality assurance programs, and recordkeeping practices for 
animal drug use.

    Done at Washington, DC, on March 24, 1997.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-7996 Filed 3-28-97; 8:45 am]
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