   
  
G/SPS/N/USA/3180/Add.3  
 
12 December 2022  
(22-9215) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
Addendum  
The following communication, received on 22 November 2022, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of  the United States of America . 
 
_______________  
 
 
Expansion of FSIS Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia coli  (STEC) Testing to Additional Raw Beef 
Products  
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 
that on 1 February 2023, the Agency will expand its routine verification testing for six Shiga toxin -
producing Escherichia coli  that are adulterants (non -O157 STEC; O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, 
or O145), in addition to the adulterant Escherichia coli  (E. coli ) O157:H7, to ground beef, bench trim, 
and other raw ground beef components in addition to raw beef manufacturing trimmings in official 
establishments. The r aw ground beef components to be tested for these six non -O157 STEC, hereafter 
"other raw ground beef components," are: head meat, cheek meat, weasand (esophagus) meat, 
product from advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems, partially defatted chopped beef and p artially 
defatted beef fatty tissue, low temperature rendered lean finely textured beef, and heart meat. 
Currently, FSIS tests only its beef manufacturing trimmings samples for these six non -O157 STEC 
and E. coli  O157:H7. Otherwise, all other raw beef prod ucts are tested only for E. coli  O157:H7 and 
Salmonella.  
FSIS also will begin testing for these non -O157 STEC in ground beef samples that it collects at retail 
stores and in applicable samples it collects of imported raw beef products.  
Additionally, in thi s Federal Register notice, FSIS is responding to comments regarding the STEC 
testing expansion and the costs and benefits analysis (CBA), as well as its updated STEC laboratory 
testing criteria for determining whether a result is positive.  
Dates: Beginning  1 February 2023, FSIS will implement routine verification testing for the six 
additional STECs discussed in this document (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) in raw ground 
beef, bench trim, and other raw ground beef components. At this time, FSIS also will implement 
testing for these non -O157 STEC in ground beef samples that it collects at retail stores and in 
applicable samples it collects of imported raw beef products.  
Information on this publication is available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/federal -register -
rulemaking/federal -register -notices/expansion -fsis-shiga -toxin-producing  
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FSIS -2010-0023-0058 
https://www.fsis. usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/FSIS -2010-0023.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2022/SPS/USA/22_7974_00_e.pdf  
This addendum con cerns a:  
[ ] Modification of final date for comments  
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation  
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of previously notified draft regulation  
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation  
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force  
[ ] Other:  G/SPS/N/USA/3180/Add.3  
 
- 2 - 
 
  Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified measure 
in terms of products and/or potentially affected Members, a new  deadline for receipt of 
comments should be provided, normally of at least 60 calendar days. Under other 
circumstances, such as extension of originally announced final date for comments, the 
comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)  
[ ] Sixty day s from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification Authority, 
[X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address  (if available) of other 
body:  
Rachel Edelstein, Assistant Administrator, USDA FSIS Office of Policy and Program Development by 
telephone at +(202) 205 0495.  
Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. 
Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:  
 
 
__________  