Table Of ContentHistoric, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
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Meat and
United States
Department of
Agriculture
Food Safety Poultry
and Inspection
Service
Inspection
Preface
TheFoodSafety and InspectionService(FSIS),apublichealth regulatory agency withintheU.S. Departmentof
Agriculture (USDA), is responsible forensuring that the commercial supply ofmeat, poultry, and egg products
in the United States is safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled, as required by the Federal Meat Inspection Act,
the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act.
This report summarizes FSIS initiatives and accomplishments, domestic and export inspection activities, and
foreign program review and reinspection activities in 1996. Information about domestic and export inspection
is presented on a fiscal yearbasis to coincide with the congressional budget process. Information on review of
foreign inspection systems and import reinspection is presented on a calendar year basis, as required by law.
Section I ofthis report describes the organization and responsibilities ofFSIS.
Section IIdescribes the initiatives and accomplishments ofFSIS to better protect the public health
and improve the efficiency and effectiveness ofthe Federal inspection program.
Section III gives a statistical summary ofdomestic and export inspection activities for fiscal year
(FY) 1996 (October 1, 1995, through September 30, 1996).
Section IV gives a statistical summary of FSIS review of foreign inspection systems and import
reinspection activities forcalendaryear 1996.
ThisannualreportissubmittedtotheCommitteeonAgricultureoftheU.S.HouseofRepresentatives
andtotheCommitteeonAgriculture,Nutrition,andForestryoftheU.S.Senateasrequiredbysections
301 (c)(4)and20(e)oftheFederalMeatInspectionAct, asamended(21 U.S. Code661 and21 U.S.
Code620)\andsections27and5(c)(4)ofthePoultryProductsInspectionAct, asamended(21 U.S.
Code 470and21 U.S. Code 454).
QuestionsaboutthereportoraboutFSISmaybedirectedtotheFoodSafetyandInspection Service,
U.S. DepartmentofAgriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.
Issued September 1997
i
Contents
1. Organization and Responsibilities of FSIS 1
II. Initiatives and Accomplishments 5
Inspection Reform 5
Enhanced Scientific Activities 8
Reorganization 11
Regulatory Reform 12
Enforcement 14
International Issues 21
III. Domestic and Export Inspection 25
Meat and Poultry Inspection 25
Egg Products Inspection 26
IV. Foreign Program Review and Port-of-Entry Reinspection 41
Foreign Program Review 41
Port-of-Entry Reinspection 41
Inspection Certificates 41
Automated Import Information System 42
Laboratory Sampling 43
11
List ofExhibits and Tables
Table/Exhibit Page
Number Title Number
1-1 (Exhibit) Organizational Structureofthe Food Safety and
Inspection Service 2
1-2 (Exhibit) Inspection OperationsRegions and AreaOffices 3
3-1 (Exhibit) NumberofFederally Inspected Plants
and FSIS Inspection Employees by Location 27
3-2 (Table) NumberofFederally Inspected Meat, Poultry, and
Combination Meat and Poultry, and OtherPlants by Location 28
3-3 (Table) Numbers and Types ofPlants Operating Under
Federal Inspection asofSeptember30, 1996 29
3-4 (Table) Federal-State Cooperative Inspection Plants 29
3-5 (Table/Exhibit) LivestockFederally Inspected 30
3-6 (Table/Exhibit) Poultry Federally Inspected 31
3-7 (Table) Labels Reviewed 31
3-8 (Table) Livestock and Poultry Carcasses Condemned 32
3-9 (Table) Enforcement Actions 32
3-10 (Table) Laboratory Samples Analyzed 33
3-11 (Table) Compounds and Proprietary Mixtures Reviewed 33
3-12 (Table) Facilities and Equipment Reviewed 33
3-13 (Table) Inspection Training 34
3-14 (Table) Dates USDA Assumed Intrastate Inspection 34
3-15 (Table) State Inspection Program 35
3-16 (Exhibit) MajorReceivers ofU.S. MeatExports 36
3-17 (Exhibit) MajorReceivers ofU.S. Poultry Exports 36
3-18 (Table) Change in Meat Exports 37-38
3-19 (Table) Change in Poultry Exports 39-40
4-1 (Table) Foreign Plants Authorized to Export Products
to the U.S. and NumberofInspectors 43
4-2 (Table) ResidueTesting Capability ofTop Ten Exporting Countries 44
4-3 (Exhibit) Source ofProducts Imported into the U.S. by Volume and Percentage 44
4-4 (Exhibit) Types ofProducts Imported into the U.S. by Percentage 45
4-5 (Table) Imported Meat and Poultry Passed forEntry for All Products 45-52
4-6 (Table) Imported Meat and Poultry Condemned and/or
53-60
Refused Entry forAll Products
4-7 (Table) Reasons forProduct Rejection 60
iii
n
Organization and Responsibilities
of the Food Safety and Inspection Service
ItisthemissionoftheFoodSafety andInspectionService(FSIS)oftheU.S. DepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)
toensurethatmeat,poultry,andeggproductspreparedfordistribution in interstateandforeigncommerceforuse
as human food are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. FSIS administers and enforces the
Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and the
regulations that implement these laws.
Responsibilities ofFSIS to ensure food safety include the following:
• Inspecting,beforeandafterslaughter,birdsandanimalsintended
for use as human food and verifying further processing ofmeat
and poultry products;
• Inspecting, before and after breaking, eggs intended for further
processing and use in human food;
• Providing pathological, microbiological, chemical, and other
scientific examination of meat, poultry, and egg products for
disease, infection,extraneous materials,drugandotherchemical
residues, orotherkinds ofadulteration;
• Conductingemergencyresponses,includingretention,detention,
or voluntary recall ofmeat, poultry, or egg products containing
chemical, microbial, orother adulterants;
• Conducting epidemiological investigations based on reports of
foodbome health hazards and disease outbreaks;
• Developing and implementing cooperative strategies to prevent
food safety health hazards associated with animal production
practices;
• Reviewing and assessing the effectiveness of State inspection
programstoensurethatstandardsareatleastequaltothoseunder
the Federal Acts;
• Reviewingandassessingforeigninspectionsystemsandfacilities
thatexportmeat,poultry,andeggproductstotheUnitedStatesto
ensurethat standards areequivalenttothose in theUnitedStates;
and reinspecting imported meat and poultry products at ports of
entry and egg products at destination or other locations;
• Monitoringalliedindustriestopreventuninspected,unwholesome,
or mislabeled meat, poultry, and egg products from illegally
entering channels ofcommerce;
• Providingpublic informationtoensurethesafehandlingofmeat,
poultry, and egg products by food handlers and consumers;
• Coordinating U.S. participation in the Codex Alimentarius
Commission and informing the public ofthe sanitary and phyto-
sanitary standard-setting activities ofthe Commission.
1
DuringFY 1996,FSISmaintainedcentralofficesintheWashington,D.C.
metropolitan area, 5 regional offices, 26 area offices, and a nationwide
networkofinspectorsin50states,PuertoRico,AmericanSamoa,Guam,
and the Virgin Islands.
Topreparefortheimplementationofamodernizedscience-basedsystem
ofinspection and compliance, FSIS in 1995 conducted a top-to-bottom
review of its regulatory roles, resource allocation, and organizational
structure. The resultingcomprehensivereorganizationplan, designedto
streamline management in the field and headquarters and make the best
useofresources, willenableFSIStomeetnewfood safety andconsumer
protection challenges. In FY 1996, FSIS completed and began to
implement the reorganization plan. The reorganized structure ofFSIS,
approved on July 17, 1996, is shown in Exhibit 1-1. The approved field
operations reorganization is shown in Exhibit 1-2.
2
