. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/136/Add.3
12 January 2001
(01-0158)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
Addendum
The following communication, dated 9 January 2001, has been received from the
United States.
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Retained Water in Raw Meat and Poultry Products - Poultry Chilling Requirements
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing regulations (final rule - published in
Federal Register 9 January 2001) to limit the amount of water retained by raw, single-ingredient, meat
and poultry products as a result of post-evisceration processing, such as carcass washing and chilling.Raw livestock and poultry carcasses and parts will not be permitted to retain water resulting from
post-evisceration processing unless the establishment preparing those carcasses and parts
demonstrates to FSIS, with data collected in accordance with a written protocol, that any water
retained in the carcasses and parts is an inevitable consequence of the process used to meet applicable
food safety requirements.  In addition, the establishment will be required to disclose on the labelling
of the meat or poultry products the maximum percenta ge of retained water in the raw product.  The
required labelling statement will help consumers of raw meat and poultry products to make informedpurchasing decisions.  Establishments having data demonstrating that there is no retained water in
their products can choose not to label the products with the retained-water statement or to make a no-
retained-water claim on the product label.
FSIS is also revising the poultry chilling regulations to improve consistency with the
Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (PR/HACCP) regulations, eliminate
"command-and-control" features, and reflect current technological capabilities and good
manufacturing practices.
This rule is effective on 9 January 2002.  Establishments wishing to implement the provisions
of this final rule prior to the effective date should contact the appropriate FSIS District Office.  FSIS
will provide instructions to its inspection programme personnel for facilitating early implementation.
Comments on the guidance material published in Appendix A should be received by
9 April 2001.  Comments responding to information requested in the preamble to this final rule shouldbe received by FSIS by 9 April 2001.G/SPS/N/USA/136/Add.3
Page 2
Instructions for commenting are in the full text of this addendum (final rule) which is
available from the following address:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSDAttn: Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720-2239
Fax:  (202) 690-0677E-mail:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov
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