03.12.2011

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently issued Notice 61-11: Reviewing Establishment Salmonella Control Programs for Raw Classes of Meat or Poultry Product.
This notice directs IPP to become familiar with, and to review data from, any programs establishments use to control or monitor Salmonella in raw classes of product. FSIS is issuing this notice in light of recent illness outbreaks related to Salmonella contamination in raw ground turkey products. IPP are to determine whether an establishment has procedures in place designed to address the control or the monitoring of Salmonella in any programs within its food safety system (e.g., HACCP, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, prerequisite programs, or other programs the establishment does not consider part of the HACCP system). If the establishment has procedures in place designed to address the control of Salmonella, IPP are to discuss these programs at the next weekly meeting. IPP are to document this discussion in a Memorandum of Interview as set out in FSIS Directive 5000.1 or FSIS PHIS Directive 5000.1. In accordance with the instructions in FSIS Directive 5000.2, Review of Establishment Testing Data by Inspection Program Personnel, on a weekly basis, IPP are to review the data from any Salmonella control or monitoring program, unless another frequency is more appropriate based on when the establishments collects the data. For example, if the establishment collects Salmonella data or other data related to Salmonella on a monthly basis, then IPP are to review that specific data monthly. When necessary, at the weekly meeting, IPP are to discuss with the establishment management any trends that IPP believe may indicate that a particular program is not controlling Salmonella and ask what actions, if any, establishment management has taken to re-establish control.