EVALUATING THE EQUIVALENCE OF FOREIGN MEAT AND POULTRY FOOD REGULATORY SYSTEMS

1. EVALUATING THE EQUIVALENCE OF FOREIGN MEAT AND POULTRY FOOD REGULATORY SYSTEMS Port of Entry Reinspection Food Safety and Inspection Service

3. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION In 1999, the United States imported approximately 3.3 billion pounds of meat and poultry from 31 countries. • 86 % Fresh Red Meat • manufacturing, carcasses and cuts • 1 % Fresh Poultry • 13 % Processed Meat/Poultry

4. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION In 1999, the United States imported almost 5.4 million pounds of egg products from Canada. • 89.9 % Liquid • 8.5 % Frozen • 1.6 % Dried

5. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION% Meat and Poultry Imported into U.S. in 1999

6. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION FSIS reinspects meat and poultry products at ports of entry before they are allowed into U.S. commerce.

7. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION About 75 FSIS import inspectors carry out reinspection at approximately 150 official import establishments.

9. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION • All shipments are reinspected for: • Transportation damage • Labeling • Proper certification • General condition • Box count

10. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION • Additional Types of Inspection (TOI) are assigned, depending upon the type of product being presented.

11. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Examples of “Types of Inspection”: • Examination for product defects • Laboratory analyses • microbiological contamination • chemical residues • food chemistry • species identification • Net weight checks • Condition of container

12. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Reinspection is performance-based: Better performing foreign establishments have their products reinspected less frequently.

13. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) • Centralized database that links ports of entry • Stores reinspection results • Provides a record of how each exporting country maintains inspection controls

14. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) The system has the ability to: • Develop complete compliance records for each country and establishment exporting to the United States.

15. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) The system has the ability to: • Develop comprehensive product histories by establishment.

16. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) The system has the ability to: • Increase/decrease reinspection of products by country or establishment.

17. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) The system’s import categories: • Canned Product • Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination • Fresh Product • Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination

18. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) (continued) The system’s import categories: • Cooked Product • Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination • Cured Product • Pork, Beef, Sheep/Goat, Poultry, Combination

19. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) (continued) The system’s import categories: • Horse (all)

20. AUTOMATED IMPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM (AIIS) TOIs for COOKED BEEF, FROZEN (BHMGAQ) • Product Exam • Boneless Meat for Manufacturing • Laboratory-Listeria • Laboratory-Salmonella • Laboratory-Species

21. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Products meeting U.S. requirements are stamped with the “official mark of inspection.”

22. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONREFUSED ENTRY Product not meet U.S. requirements is stamped “REFUSED ENTRY.” OPTIONS: • Exported from the United States • Destroyed • Converted to animal food

23. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Reinspectionoccurs at one of four levels: • “Normal” level • “SKIP-1” level • “SKIP-2” level • “Tighten and Hold” level

24. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION “NORMAL” level: • ALL lots are reinspected

25. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION “SKIP-1” level: • 1 out of every 4 lots is reinspected • Each lot eligible for the “skip-1” has one in four chances of being reinspected

26. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION “SKIP-2” level: • 1 of every 12 lots is reinspected • Each lot eligible for “skip-2” has a one in 12 chance of being reinspected

27. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION “TIGHTEN AND HOLD” Level: • Shipments are held by FSIS pending test results

28. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Previous Example: COOKED BEEF, FROZEN • Product Exam • Boneless Meat for Manufacturing Uses AQL-1 Switching Rule to move between the three inspection levels: Normal, Skip-1 and Skip-2

29. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Switching Rule An algorithm that specifies the conditions for transition between inspection levels.

30. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExample of Switching Rules AQL 1 RULE Based on: • the inspector’s determination of a specific lot • the accumulation of defects • NO critical defect in the last 3000 pounds • NO major defect in the last 1600 pounds • If lot fails, sampling returns to NORMAL

31. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION Previous Example: COOKED BEEF, FROZEN • Laboratory-Listeria • Laboratory-Salmonella • Laboratory-Species Uses Lab Pass/Fail Switching Rule to move between the three inspection levels: Normal, Skip-1 and Skip-2

32. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExample of Switching Rules PASS/FAIL LABORATORY ANALYSIS RULE If residue or microbiological analysis fails, foreign establishment placed on “tighten and hold” for 15 consecutive shipments pass within 180 days.

33. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONExample of Switching Rules PASS/FAIL LABORATORY ANALYSIS RULE If species analysis fails, foreign establishment placed on “tighten and hold” for 10 consecutive shipments pass within 180 days.

34. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONResidue Controls FSIS randomly samples products at ports of entry for chemical residue analysis.

35. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONResidue Controls • Compounds adjusted annually • Sampling frequency adjusted annually • Initial sampling rate based on the volume of product imported the previous year • Decisions about product acceptability are based on U.S. tolerances or action levels

36. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONMicrobiological Controls FSIS randomly samples specific products at ports of entry for microbiological analysis, including: • Listeria monocytogenes • Salmonella • Escherichia coli 0157:H7 • Staphylococcal aureus enterotoxin

37. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION REPORTED LABORATORY VIOLATIONS 1998 • Residue Samples • Sulfonamides 11 • Antibiotics 1 • Microbiological Samples • Listeria monocytogenes 19 • Salmonella 7

38. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION LABORATORY VIOLATIONS • Electronic results reported from laboratory • Controls initiated • within United States • in the foreign country

39. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION LABORATORY VIOLATIONS Controls in United States • Foreign establishment immediately placed on TIGHTEN & HOLD • Determine location of product in the U.S. • at an import establishment • at an FSIS inspected processing establishment • in distribution

40. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION LABORATORY VIOLATIONS Controls in Foreign Country • FSIS notifies foreign inspection service • requests additional information related to production lot • requests an investigation of the cause • requests report of the investigation and appropriate corrective action

41. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTIONLaboratory Violations Repeat Violations (more than one from same country) • Indicator that something is potentially wrong with the controls in the foreign country.

42. PORT OF ENTRY REINSPECTION CONCLUSION • Port of Entry reinspection data provides a record of the effectiveness of the foreign inspection system. • Provides data which enables FSIS to shift reinspection and audit resources to foreign inspection systems with potential health risks.