[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 145 (Wednesday, July 29, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 40381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20173]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 145 / Wednesday, July 29, 1998 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 40381]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

9 CFR Parts 309, 310, 381, and 417

[Docket No. 98-039N]


HACCP-Based Meat and Poultry Inspection Concepts: In-Plant 
Slaughter Inspection Models Study Plan

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is making 
available for comment a paper describing the plan for evaluating new 
livestock and poultry slaughter inspection models in certain 
establishments operating under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control 
Point (HACCP) systems. The paper was prepared for use by establishments 
slaughtering certain market classes of animals and participating in the 
Agency's HACCP-Based Inspection Models project and by the FSIS project 
team. During this project, FSIS will test and evaluate new approaches 
to fulfilling inspection requirements by plants and FSIS inspectors. 
The project will also test new FSIS food safety and other consumer 
protection activities in transportation and distribution channels. The 
new models are intended to help the Agency determine how best to 
maintain and improve upon the level of protection provided by current 
inspection procedures, and at the same time use its resources more 
effectively. The paper outlines the approaches that will be used by the 
participating establishments and by the FSIS inspectors assigned to 
these plants. The paper also describes the organoleptic and 
microbiological evaluations to be conducted by the FSIS project team.

DATES: To receive full consideration, comments should be received by 
September 28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The document ``HACCP-Based Inspection Models Project: In-
plant Slaughter'' may be viewed in the FSIS Docket Room, Room 102 
Cotton Annex Building, 300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. 
An electronic version of the document is available on-line at FSIS's 
homepage at ``http://www.fsis.usda.gov.'' Written comments on the 
document may be sent in triplicate to FSIS Docket Clerk, DOCKET #98-
XXXN, Room 102 Cotton Annex Building, 300 12th Street, SW., Washington, 
DC 20250-3700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia F. Stolfa, Assistant Deputy 
Administrator, Office of Policy, Program Development, and Evaluation, 
Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700; (202) 205-0699.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    FSIS is conducting a project to develop and test new models for the 
inspection of certain meat and poultry products produced under the 
Agency's ``Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control 
Point Systems'' (PR/HACCP) final rule (61 FR 38806; July 25, 1996). 
FSIS will also test a new in-distribution inspection concept; however, 
the paper described here only concerns the inplant slaughter phase of 
the project. The inspection models project was announced in a June 10, 
1997, Federal Register notice, ``HACCP-Based Meat and Poultry 
Inspection Concepts,'' requesting public comments on the design and 
development of new inspection models for slaughter and processing under 
HACCP systems of young, healthy, uniform animals (62 FR 31553). The 
project has been a subject of discussion at several public meetings 
during the past year.
    The HACCP-Based Inspection Models project is intended to produce a 
flexible, more efficient, fully integrated system of oversight and 
controls. FSIS expects this system of establishment controls and Agency 
oversight and verification, to yield increased food-safety and other 
benefits to consumers. The new system should enable certain 
establishments to better meet their responsibilities under the PR/HACCP 
regulations and permit FSIS to deploy its inspection resources more 
effectively both in-plant and in-distribution.
    In the inspection models for selected market classes that FSIS is 
developing, slaughter process control will be an industry 
responsibility subject to FSIS oversight and verification. The models, 
when refined, should enable FSIS to: (1) maintain and enhance the food-
safety and other consumer protection benefits of the current carcass 
inspection system; (2) effectively and efficiently oversee, evaluate, 
and verify industry implementation of the PR/HACCP regulations; and (3) 
ensure that meat and poultry products are transported and distributed 
under conditions that will not render them adulterated. The project 
will thoroughly test the Agency's ability to achieve these objectives 
using the new models in certain market classes of livestock and birds.
    Establishments participating in the project will carry out food-
safety-related and other consumer protection activities. Establishment 
employees will conduct anatomical and pathological examinations of 
carcasses, and FSIS inspectors will oversee, evaluate, and verify the 
effectiveness and reliability of the establishments' slaughter process 
controls.
    The paper ``HACCP-Based Inspection Models Project: Inplant 
Slaughter'' outlines the establishment process-control responsibilities 
and FSIS inspection activities to be carried out during the in-plant 
phase of the project, and describes the microbial and organoleptic 
evaluation procedures which the project team will carry out.

    Done, at Washington, D.C., July 22, 1998.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-20173 Filed 7-28-98; 8:45 am]
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