By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a proposed amendment to egg product inspection regulations.
The change would require plants to develop Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs), as well as meeting sanitation requirements already established by meat and poultry regulations.
FSIS reports that the amendments would result in plants producing a finished product free of detectable pathogens.
“As we continue to modernize inspection systems and processes, we are committed to strengthening consistency across the services that FSIS inspection personnel carry out for the consuming public,” Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Carmen Rottenberg said. “This proposed rule will ensure the same level of inspection and oversight of all regulated products as we carry out our public health mission.”
FSIS is also proposing to eliminate current provisions not consistent with existing meat and poultry regulations, helping to modernize food safety inspection systems at egg product plants. FSIS will also be taking over jurisdiction of egg substitutes, treating them with the same level of scrutiny and care.
Since 93 percent of egg product plants already use a HACCP plan addressing at least one production step in their process, impact costs of the proposed amendment are mitigated.
Once the rule is published in the Federal Register, there will be a 120-day comment period.
Click here to read the proposed rule.