FSIS Submits Amendment To Improve Raw Beef Traceability

By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online

The latest proposal by the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service will improve traceability, but is liable to cause panic among some food processors already feeling stressed by FSMA’s pending implementation

Today, consumers and consumer advocacy groups concerned about food safety are applauding the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The agency recently submitted a proposed amendment to 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 320, making it much easier to trace foodborne illness back to its source. The proposal is posted on the FSIS website and will soon be published in the Federal Register. 

White Paper: Food Traceability — Solving The Imperative Of Compliance

Entitled, Records to be Kept by Official Establishments and Retail Stores That Grind Raw Beef Products, the proposal amends current recordkeeping regulations. Specifically, it requires all raw beef processors, including retail establishments that grind raw beef, to keep complete records of where each component of the ground product originated. The records must include the name and contact information of the supplier(s) of any beef products utilized in the preparation of each lot. The lot numbers will have to be documented, as well as any product carried over to a separate lot number. Additionally, the exact number of pounds of the component and the type of beef product used will have to be recorded. Even more exacting is the fact that the date and time the grinding equipment and any related food-contact surfaces were cleaned and sanitized must also be documented. The proposed rule includes those raw beef products ground at the request of an individual customer. 

This amendment is expected to make traceability in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak less labor intensive and provide a more timely result. It will spread responsibility across the supply chain, and due to the additional recordkeeping, is expected to encourage more closely monitored adherence to food safety regulations.  Large food retailers and small private butcher shops alike will be required to keep meticulous records, all of which could be examined at any time by FSIS or another governing authority.

Webinar: Traceability Requirements And Best Practices

Based upon this latest effort to more effectively and quickly identify sources for foodborne illness, it may behoove all food processors to explore new options and to recognize the need for reorganization. Now is the time to invest in those technical solutions you’ve been putting off.  Now is the time to implement training and proactive action. This proposal will most likely be adopted and no amount of grumbling will change that. It is also true that the consumer is playing an ever-more active role in the war on foodborne illness, which means they are watching suppliers like a hawk. This train is leaving the station — you might want to get on board or get left behind.