WORLD TRADE G/SPS/N/USA/114
24February 1998
ORGANIZATION
(98-0747)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
NOTIFICATION
1. Member toAgreement notifying: UNITED STATES
Ifapplicable, name oflocal government involved:
2. Agency responsible: Department ofAgriculture, Food Safety andInspection Service
3. Products covered (tariff item number(s) asspecified innational schedules deposited with
theWTO. ICSnumbers may beprovided inaddition, where applicable): Meat and
poultry establishments
4. Title andnumber ofpages ofthenotified document: Notice ofPolicy Change;
Elimination ofPrior Approval forProprietary Substances andNon-food Compounds
(available inEnglish -4pages)
5. Description ofcontent: TheFood Safety andInspection Service (FSIS) isrevising its
policy regarding Agency approval ofnon-food compounds andproprietary substances
prior touseinofficial meatandpoultry establishments. Thecompounds and
substances currently subject toprior approval include maintenance andoperating
chemicals (sanitizers, cleaning compounds, water treatments, lubricants, andpesticides)
andproprietary foodprocessing chemicals (branding inks, scalding agents, rendering
agents, anddenaturants). FSIS recently proposed toeliminate thesanitation regulations
requiring prior approval forsome ofthese compounds andsubstances (contained in
9CFR Parts 308and381,Sub-part H).FSIS nowisannouncing thatitiseliminating
theprior approval system forall-non-food compounds andproprietary substances and
specifically requests comment onalternatives tothecurrent prior approval system.
6. Objective andrationale: Thisprior approval program isinconsistent withthenewfood
safety strategy andapproach setforth inFSIS "Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis
andCritical Control Point (HACCP) Systems". Under these newregulations, every
official meatandpoultry establishment willberequired todevelop andimplement
HACCP, ascience-based process control system designed toimprove thesafety ofmeat
andpoultry products. Establishments willberesponsible fordeveloping and
implementing HACCP plans incorporating thecontrols necessary andappropriate to
produce safemeatandpoultry products. Consequently, establishments, notFSIS, will
beresponsible fordetermining whether thenon-food compounds andproprietary
substances theyusearesafeandeffective.
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Page2
7. Aninternational standard, guideline orrecommendation does notexist [X].
Ifaninternational standard, guideline orrecommendation exists, whenever possible,
identify deviations:
8. Relevant documents andlanguage(s) inwhich these areavailable: 63FR7319,
13February 1998; 9CFR Parts 308,318and381.
9. Proposed date ofadoption: Tobedetermined
10. Proposed date ofentry intoforce: Thedateofentry intoforce willbeannounced when
thefinalruleispublished intheFederal Register.
11. Final date forcomments: 14April 1998
Agency orauthority designated tohandle comments: Food Safety andInspection
Service, USDA
12. Texts available from: National enquiry point []oraddress, telefax number andE-mail
address (ifavailable) ofother body:
USDA/FAS/OFSTS
Attn: Carolyn F.Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel: (202) 720-2239
Fax: (202) 690-0677
E-mail: ofsts@fas.usda.gov