[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 5139-5143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2736]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 23 / Tuesday, February 4, 1997 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 5139]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
9 CFR Part 381
[Docket No. 94-016F]
RIN 0583-AC25
Poultry Inspection: Revision of Finished Product Standards With
Respect to Fecal Contamination
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Final rule; Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the
poultry products inspection regulations to clarify and strengthen the
enforcement of FSIS's zero-tolerance policy regarding visible fecal
material on poultry carcasses. FSIS is amending its regulations to
codify an existing standard that ensures poultry carcasses contaminated
with fecal material do not enter the chilling tank. In order to clarify
the enforcement of this policy, this rule removes ``feces'' as a
nonconformance element in the finished product standards for poultry.
In addition, the Agency is seeking comments on the relationship
between ingesta and the presence of microbial pathogens on raw poultry.
DATES: This rule is effective on May 5, 1997. There is no due date for
comments requested on the relationship between ingesta and microbial
pathogens on raw poultry.
ADDRESSES: Submit one original and two copies of written comments to:
FSIS Docket Clerk, DOCKET #94-016F, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 3806 South Agriculture
Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. All
comments submitted will be available for public inspection in the
Docket Clerk's Office between 8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. To review the research and other
background information used by FSIS in developing this document,
interested persons may visit the Docket Clerk's office during the times
listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Isabel Arrington, Staff Officer,
Slaughter Operations, Office of Field Operations; (202) 720-7905.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
To enforce the ``zero tolerance'' policy regarding visible fecal
contamination on poultry, FSIS program employees look at every carcass
to ensure it is not contaminated by visible fecal contamination. This
visual check of all carcasses occurs after evisceration but prior to
the separation of the viscera from the carcass and prior to the final
wash and entry of the carcass into the chilling tank. Should visible
fecal contamination be observed, existing regulations permit
establishments to reprocess contaminated carcasses by a number of
approved methods, including washing and trimming on or off the line.
Regardless of the method chosen, the end result must be removal of all
visible specks of contamination prior to the carcasses' entering the
chiller. This zero tolerance policy for visible fecal contamination is
an important food safety standard because fecal contamination is a
major vehicle for spreading pathogenic microorganisms, such as
Salmonella, to raw poultry.
Under current rules, FSIS ensures removal of all visible fecal
contamination subsequent to postmortem inspection through off-line
reinspection, direct on-line observations by an inspector, and
application of finished product standards (FPS). The FPS are applied to
samples of product prior to its entering the chiller and after product
has left the chiller as a means of measuring an establishment's
performance in meeting organoleptic (detectable by the unaided senses)
standards, including the removal of visible fecal contamination.
Under an FPS program, the poultry establishment checks carcasses
entering and leaving the chiller for nonconformance to the FPS. If the
incidence of nonconformances determined by the FPS test indicates that
the establishment's process is out of control, the establishment must
take corrective action. Any bird in the sample taken found to be
contaminated with feces is set aside for rework or condemnation. FSIS
inspectors located before the chiller also evaluate performance by
visually observing carcasses, checking quality control data, and
sampling product. The establishment and FSIS apply a statistical method
to determine if the establishment's processes are under control and
producing consistently sound product. In the event an establishment
does not meet statistical criteria, the establishment's process is
determined to be out of control and corrective action is required. The
application of FPS does not preclude the inspector's directing the
establishment to take corrective action any time carcasses visibly
contaminated with fecal matter are observed.
On July 13, 1994, FSIS published a proposed rule, ``Enhanced
Poultry Inspection,'' in the Federal Register (59 FR 35659) to clarify
and strengthen substantially the Agency's zero-tolerance policy for
visible fecal contamination. The proposed rule would have implemented a
single system of postmortem inspection for all poultry species.
Establishment personnel would have been required to pre-sort birds
before inspection to exclude those with diseases and condemnable
conditions. In addition, the inspection sequence would have been
changed to permit inspectors to conduct on-line checks for
contamination. The proposal would have required all reprocessed birds
to be returned to the main processing line for inspection.
FSIS also proposed the mandatory use of antimicrobial rinses in all
establishments, use of establishment employees to sort poultry,
revision of the FPS, and addition of recordkeeping and verification
procedures. The proposal included the removal of ``feces'' from the
list of nonconformances in the FPS and a mandatory line speed reduction
triggered by any finding of visible fecal contamination during an FPS
review or at other times when such contamination was detected.
Since the proposed rule was published, FSIS has adopted a
[[Page 5140]]
comprehensive, preventive food safety strategy to reduce the incidence
and prevalence of foodborne illness in the United States. The
centerpiece of this strategy is the ``Pathogen Reduction; Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Systems'' final rule (61
FR 38805-38989, July 25, 1996). HACCP is a system of preventive
controls designed to improve the safety of food products.
The Pathogen Reduction/HACCP regulations require each establishment
to conduct a hazard analysis and develop a HACCP plan applicable to
every product it produces. Fecal contamination is a reliable indicator
of the likely presence of microbial pathogens, a food safety hazard
which all slaughtering establishments will necessarily address in their
HACCP plans. Poultry processing establishments must adopt HACCP
controls that they can demonstrate are effective in reducing the
occurrence of microbial pathogens; those controls include preventing
the fecal contamination of carcasses and thus preventing fecally
contaminated carcasses from entering the chilling tanks. They will be
required to monitor, verify, and record results which demonstrate the
effective operation of those controls on a continuing basis.
Under the Pathogen Reduction/HACCP rule, in addition to controls
for reducing microbial pathogens, such as ensuring that all poultry
carcasses are free of visible fecal contamination before entering the
chiller, slaughtering establishments will verify their process controls
by testing sampled carcasses for generic Escherichia coli (Biotype I).
In addition, FSIS has established pathogen reduction performance
standards based on Salmonella prevalence in raw product. These
standards, which FSIS will enforce through its own Salmonella testing
program, complement the process control performance criteria for
visible fecal contamination and E. coli testing.
The Pathogen Reduction/HACCP rule establishes a more comprehensive
framework for food safety protection than did the 1994 proposal, and
therefore supersedes it. It couples HACCP-based process control to
prevent visible fecal contamination (and other hazards) with microbial
testing and pathogen reduction performance standards to scientifically
verify the effectiveness of the HACCP plan. Some of the concepts in the
July 1994 proposal, such as antimicrobial processes and the role of
FSIS inspectors, may be addressed by future rulemakings if the concepts
appear to provide substantial food safety benefits in a HACCP context.
The zero-tolerance standard for visible fecal contamination, an
indicator of likely microbial contamination, is one that must be
achieved by processing control and therefore is consistent with the
HACCP framework. The HACCP regulations require all establishments to
identify all food safety hazards reasonably likely to occur in a
specific process, and to identify critical control points adequate to
prevent them. Fecal contamination is a food safety hazard because of
its direct link to microbiological contamination and foodborne illness.
Preventing carcasses with visible fecal contamination from entering the
chiller is critical for preventing cross-contamination of other
carcasses. The final carcass wash before the carcasses enter the
chiller is a critical control point for preventing cross-contamination
of other carcasses. Critical control points to eliminate visible fecal
contamination are predictable and essential components of the HACCP
plans for all slaughter establishments. For establishments' HACCP plans
to be validated, they will have to achieve the zero tolerance for
visible contamination at the point where carcasses enter the chiller.
Though the zero-tolerance policy has not been codified in the
regulations until now, it is implicit in some of the regulations. For
example, Sec. 381.91(b), provides that poultry accidentally
contaminated with digestive tract contents need not be condemned if
promptly reprocessed under the supervision of an inspector and found
not to be adulterated. The codification of the zero-tolerance policy
for visible fecal contamination and removal of ``feces'' as a
nonconformance element in the finished product standards for poultry
provide a clear and unambiguous standard that poultry slaughtering
establishments must meet today and, eventually, incorporate into their
HACCP systems.
FSIS will continue to verify that establishments are meeting the
zero-tolerance standard through visual observations, data collection,
and sampling. However, consistent with the policy, any indication of
visible fecal contamination will require establishments to take
immediate corrective action after deviations occur, rather than after a
certain statistical measure of control is exceeded over a period of
time.
The bulk of the comments on the July 1994 proposal addressed
provisions that are unrelated to this final rule. Of the 434 comments
received, 64 addressed the zero-tolerance policy on fecal
contamination. Forty-eight commenters were clearly in favor of the
policy; 16 expressed various reservations, such as: (1) Fecal material
was undefined; (2) visible feces should be trimmed, not washed; (3)
since FSIS has a zero tolerance policy for fecal contamination, a rule
change is not necessary; and (4) a zero tolerance policy should also be
established for ingesta and other intestinal tract contents.
In response to the commenters who stated that fecal material and/or
feces should be defined, FSIS has developed guidelines for inspectors
to use in identifying feces on carcasses. In these guidelines, three
factors--color, consistency, and composition-- are essential in
positively identifying fecal contamination. In general, fecal material
color ranges from varying shades of yellow to green, brown, and white;
the consistency of feces is usually semi-solid to a paste; and the
composition of feces may include plant material. Inspectors use the
feces identification guidelines to verify that establishments prevent
carcasses with visible fecal contamination from entering the chilling
tanks.
Several commenters also felt that any contamination on the carcass
should be trimmed, and that washing, including reprocessing, should not
be permitted as an alternative to trimming. The regulations (9 CFR
381.91(b)) permit poultry contaminated during slaughter with digestive
tract contents, such as feces, to be reprocessed in lieu of being
condemned. These regulations were promulgated in 1978 and were based,
in part, on an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study, published in
the Journal of Food Science, which concluded that effective washing of
contaminated poultry carcasses produced carcasses with microbiological
levels essentially equal to normally processed and inspected
carcasses.1 A subsequent ARS study supported this finding.2
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\1\ Blankenship LC, Cox NA, Craven SE, Mercuri AJ, and Wilson
RL. Comparison of the Microbiological Quality of Inspection-Passed
and Fecal Contamination-Condemned Broiler Carcasses. J. Food Science
1975; 40:1236-1238.
\2\ Blankenship LC, Bailey JS, Cox NA, Musgrove MT, Berrang ME,
Wilson RL, Rose MJ, and Dua SK. A Research Note: Broiler Carcass
Reprocessing, A Further Explanation. J. Food Prot. 1993; 56:983-985.
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Several commenters stated that FSIS has a zero tolerance policy for
feces and, therefore, a change to the regulations was not needed.
However, the apparent incompatibility between FSIS's zero tolerance
policy for fecal material on individual poultry carcasses and the
existence of a process measure that
[[Page 5141]]
includes a tolerance for ``feces'' in the finished product standards
has continued to cause confusion. To clarify the zero tolerance policy,
FSIS is amending the poultry products inspection regulations by
removing ``feces'' as a nonconformance element from the finished
product standards.
Several commenters stated that there should be a zero tolerance
policy for ingesta and other digestive tract contents, in addition to
feces. Ingesta are processing defects generally consisting of
undigested feed remaining in a bird's crop, esophagus, and gizzard.
Ingesta contamination and attached portions of the crop and esophagus
are processing defects counted as FPS nonconformances. Ingesta
contamination of poultry was not directly addressed in the July 1994
proposal.
A research report 3 recently identified the crop as a
potential source of Salmonella contamination for broiler carcasses. The
report noted that crops may be ruptured during processing, suggesting
that the crop may serve as a source of carcass contamination if
exposure to pathogenic microbes occurs during the last week before
slaughter. The fact that birds are especially likely to pick up fecal
droppings during the feed withdrawal period prior to slaughter could
explain the presence of Salmonella in the crops.
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\3\ Hargis BM, Caldwell DJ, Brewer RL, Corrier DE, DeLoach JR,
An Evaluation of the Chicken Crop as a Source of Salmonella
Contamination for Broiler Carcasses. Poult Sci 1995; 74:1548-52.
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Comments and information on ingesta contamination would be useful
to the Agency in its consideration of the need for additional
regulatory measures regarding ingesta. Such information would also be
helpful to establishments in identifying hazards and determining
critical control points in their HACCP systems. FSIS would like to have
more information on how the presence of ingesta on dressed poultry
carcasses relates to the presence of microbial pathogens and,
consequently, the food safety profile of ready-to-cook raw poultry.
Specific information is requested on (1) the capacity of current
technology to prevent ingesta contamination, (2) the consumer
perspective on the presence of ingesta on ready-to-cook raw poultry,
(3) the tolerance level and defect categories in the current FPS
program for ingesta, crop, and esophagus, and (4) the availability and
cost of new technology and its capacity to prevent ingesta
contamination.
The Final Rule
In summary, this final rule amends the poultry products inspection
regulations by explicitly prohibiting dressed poultry carcasses
contaminated with feces from entering the chiller. It also removes
``feces'' from the list of nonconformance elements in the poultry
finished product standards. Any visible fecal contamination found by
the establishment during the finished product standards check means
that the establishment has failed to meet the standard and that
immediate corrective action is required, irrespective of the overall
FPS results. Under this final rule, FSIS inspectors will continue their
current practice of verifying the establishment's process control
through visual observation of carcasses and off-line checks of sampled
birds.
Additionally, beginning on the effective date of this rule and
prior to HACCP implementation, FSIS inspectors will, during each shift
in all poultry slaughtering operations, check at least two more 10-bird
samples on each evisceration line for visible fecal contamination after
the final wash, before the carcasses enter the chiller. Any amount of
visible fecal contamination found by FSIS inspectors during these
checks will be regarded as a lack of process control requiring
immediate correction.
FSIS will continue to verify the effectiveness of the
establishment's corrective actions and, if the actions prove
ineffective, will prohibit birds on affected lines from entering the
chilling tank directly until the establishment demonstrates, and FSIS
verifies, that the zero-tolerance standard for visible fecal
contamination is being met. This prohibition may result in slowing or
stopping the line until the problem is solved. FSIS also will check
carcasses on the affected lines after they exit the chilling tank.
After HACCP systems are implemented in slaughtering establishments,
FSIS personnel will determine the effectiveness of preventive controls
and corrective actions for visible fecal contamination as they verify
HACCP system adequacy. They will continue close oversight of processor
efforts to prevent visible fecal contamination, sampling birds at the
same frequency as before HACCP implementation. The presence of visible
fecal contamination on poultry carcasses entering the chiller will mean
that controls to prevent such contamination have failed. The finding of
fecal matter on carcasses entering the chiller even after corrective
actions have been taken to prevent its recurrence will constitute
evidence of a HACCP system failure. FSIS will consider a documented
pattern of repeated system failures to be evidence that the
establishment's HACCP plan is inadequate. The Agency will take
immediate action to ensure proper disposition of adulterated product,
including its condemnation. Additionally, if appropriate, the Agency
will undertake proceedings to withdraw inspection from the
establishment.
FSIS plans to review the application of this standard during the
implementation of HACCP in affected establishments. The Agency would
certainly welcome input from interested parties on the application of
this standard in a HACCP environment.
FSIS expects that its zero-fecal-contamination policy, together
with the Pathogen Reduction/HACCP rule, will improve the safety of raw
poultry products and help bring about measurable declines in foodborne
illness attributable to poultry consumption.
Executive Order 12866 and Effect on Small Entities
This final rule has been determined to be significant and was
reviewed by OMB under Executive Order 12866.
This rule codifies as a standard the existing FSIS zero-tolerance
policy for the presence of visible fecal contamination on poultry
carcasses entering the chilling tank, and removes ``feces'' as a
nonconformance element in the FPS for poultry. The rule does not
require any facility changes nor does it stipulate what steps
establishments must take to comply with the standard. Furthermore, this
rule is compatible with the mandatory HACCP program for meat and
poultry establishments.
The rule will affect about 520 poultry slaughtering establishments
subject to inspection under the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
Approximately 360 of these are inspected by FSIS, about 300 operating
under inspection systems incorporating FPS; the other 60 or so--most
processing low-consumption-volume species, such as ducks and geese--
operating under ``traditional'' systems. In the ``traditional''
establishments, inspectors check outgoing product using lot acceptance
plans from which entries for ``feces'' are being removed by Agency
directive. The final rule will also affect about 160 poultry
slaughtering establishments where States maintain inspection that is
``at least equal to'' Federal inspection.
Alternatives Considered
As discussed in the preamble to the proposal, FSIS considered two
[[Page 5142]]
alternatives to the proposed regulatory amendments that would have met
the objectives of strengthening poultry products inspection, reducing
the occurrence of pathogens on raw product, and enforcing a ``zero
tolerance'' for visible fecal contamination of raw product. The first
of the alternatives would have required detaching the viscera from the
carcass before post-mortem inspection and presenting the organs and the
carcass for inspection at the same time, rather than sequentially. A
separate belt or tray would have been provided to prevent the viscera
from contaminating the carcass. However, preliminary estimates
indicated that costs to the industry of equipment acquisition and
installation and downtime for construction would have approached $1
billion.
The second alternative would have involved retaining the current
postmortem inspection procedures while positioning an additional
inspector at the end of the evisceration line at a point after viscera
removal to examine each carcass for fecal contamination. Under this
alternative, the Government could have incurred an additional $16
million per annum in personnel costs, which was unacceptable to FSIS,
and production rates could have been slowed by 30 to 50 percent if
fewer inspectors were assigned to perform the required tasks. The
annual cost to the industry and consumers of slowed linespeeds could
have been as high as $5.2 billion. In the Agency's judgment, either of
these alternatives would have posed unacceptable costs.
The alternative proposed by the Agency included a single postmortem
inspection system for all kinds and classes of poultry, a requirement
for the establishment to present for inspection birds that had been
pre-sorted to exclude those with diseases and condemnable conditions, a
change in the inspection sequence to include on-line checks for
contamination, the return of all reprocessed birds to the main
processing line for reinspection, and mandatory antimicrobial treatment
of all dressed poultry. In addition, some establishments would have had
to install adjustable inspection stands and enhanced lighting. A
completely revised FPS, without a nonconformance element for feces,
would have been applied to all poultry. An FSIS inspector would have
been required to stop or slow the line upon finding any fecally
contaminated bird. The Agency estimated the cost of the proposal to
industry at about $7 million. Cost estimates supplied by industry
commenters indicated costs would substantially exceed the Agency's
estimate.
Since the proposal was published, the Agency has adopted a
comprehensive food safety strategy based on mandatory HACCP systems for
meat and poultry establishments. The Pathogen Reduction/HACCP rule
implementing this policy supersedes the July 1994 proposal.
Accordingly, FSIS has limited this final rule to the codification of
the zero tolerance policy for visible fecal contamination and to the
removal of the ``feces'' nonconformance element from the poultry FPS.
Costs
As mentioned, visible fecal contamination of poultry carcasses
currently is addressed at postmortem inspection by off-line
reprocessing of accidentally contaminated poultry, through pre-chill
FPS checks, and at other times that visible fecal contamination is
detected. FSIS estimates that the frequency of corrective actions
required because establishments fail an FPS test due to visible fecal
contamination nonconformances is, at most, 1 time a year per
establishment. Normally, the presence of visible fecal contamination
found during an FPS review is at a level such that it will cause an FPS
failure and trigger immediate corrective action. A typical
establishment may fail a pre-chill FPS test once a month or less
because nonconformances other than visible fecal contamination, such as
the presence of feathers or other dressing defects, have been observed.
Such an establishment may fail a post-chill FPS test about six times a
year, usually because extraneous matter is found on the carcass. Some
establishments operate for 2 or 3 years without failing an FPS test.
The Agency will have to shift the allocation of Federal poultry
inspection resources during the period after this rule becomes
effective. Upon the effective date of this rule, FSIS inspectors will
be sampling additional birds at pre-chill to examine them for visible
fecal contamination, a task that will require as many as 10 staff-years
to perform. This cost can be absorbed within FSIS's current resources.
As mentioned, this final rule removes the nonconformance element
for ``feces'' from the current FPS for poultry and codifies the policy
prohibiting poultry carcasses contaminated with visible feces from
entering the chiller tank. As stated elsewhere in this preamble, this
rule establishes a standard that is compatible with the Agency's
Pathogen Reduction/HACCP regulations. It will take effect, however,
before mandatory HACCP plans are implemented in most federally
inspected poultry products establishments.
When this final rule becomes effective, the detection of visible
fecal contamination during the pre-chill FPS or at any other time that
visible fecal contamination is detected on the carcasses before the
carcasses enter the chiller will trigger corrective actions to prevent
recurrence of the problem. The Agency foresees that initially, when
this final rule goes into effect, there may be an increase in the
frequency of corrective actions. Establishments may incur costs
attributed to slowing or temporary stoppage of production lines,
equipment adjustments, product rework, and the placing of additional
personnel on the processing line, at a somewhat higher rate than
previously.
These costs are likely to result from two primary causes. First,
following the effective date, establishments will be placing increased
emphasis on preventing carcasses with visible fecal contamination from
entering chiller tanks. The increased vigilance of establishment
personnel initially may cause some production slowdowns. Second, FSIS
inspectors will be sampling birds at an increased rate to enforce the
zero-tolerance policy. It is possible that a prevalence level of fecal
contamination that had not been detected previously in FPS tests will
now be shown to occur, and that processing lines may be slowed or
stopped more often for corrective actions to be taken.
FSIS estimates that the industry-wide cost of stopping or slowing
the processing line when fecal contamination is found on dressed
poultry could be as high as $15 million during the first year this
final rule is in effect. This estimate is derived from data submitted
by commenters on estimated efficiency losses--including losses due to
stopping or slowing the processing lines--that the proposed rule might
have caused. An assumption of the commenters, which FSIS does not
share, was that the efficiency reduction costs would recur annually.
FSIS sees any such cost increases as short-term. Once
establishments adjust to the new inspection procedures and adopt more
stringent operating standards, the need for corrective action should be
reduced, and there will be greater assurance that product entering
chillers is free of visible fecal contamination.
Benefits
FSIS expects the net benefits to society from this rule will be in
the form of fewer outbreaks of foodborne disease
[[Page 5143]]
attributable to poultry products. The rule will help ensure that raw
poultry entering chiller tanks is free of contamination that may harbor
pathogens and, thus, that there will be less cross-contamination in the
chiller tanks. FSIS expects that this reduced cross-contamination will
mean that raw poultry shipped in commerce will have fewer pathogens and
that the risk of illness due to improper handling of raw product after
it leaves the inspected establishment will be reduced.
The Administrator, FSIS, has determined that this final rule will
not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The small entities affected by this rule are the
approximately 220 small poultry slaughtering establishments that meet
the Small Business Administration size standard of 500 or fewer
employees. This is a significant number of small entities but, for
reasons given above, costs to establishments, whether they be small or
large entities, should not be significantly affected by this rule.
Thus, the rule will not have a significant impact on a substantial
number of small entities.
Executive Order 12988
This final rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988,
Civil Justice Reform. This rule (1) preempts all State and local laws
and regulations that are inconsistent with this rule; (2) has no
retroactive effect; and (3) does not require administrative proceedings
before parties may file suit in court challenging this rule.
Paperwork Requirements
The July 13, 1994, proposed rule required paperwork and
recordkeeping activities that would have provided FSIS with information
to ensure that establishments were in compliance with the proposed
regulations. As noted above, however, FSIS is withdrawing the
provisions of the proposal that would have required such paperwork and
recordkeeping.
List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 381
Poultry inspection, Poultry and poultry products.
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, FSIS is amending part
381 of the poultry products inspection regulations as set forth below:
PART 381--POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION REGULATIONS
1. The authority citation for part 381 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 138f, 450; 21 U.S.C. 451-470; 7 CFR 2.18,
2.53.
Subpart I--Operating Procedures
2. Section 381.65 is amended by adding a new paragraph (e) to read
as follows:
Sec. 381.65 Operations and procedures, generally.
* * * * *
(e) Poultry carcasses contaminated with visible fecal material
shall be prevented from entering the chilling tank.
* * * * *
Subpart K--Post Mortem Inspection; Disposition of Carcasses and
Parts
Sec. 381.76 [Amended]
3. Section 381.76(b)(3)(vi), Table 1--Definitions of
Nonconformances, is amended in paragraph A-1 by removing the word
``feces,'' by removing the end note from paragraph A-2 regarding feces,
by removing paragraph A-8, ``Feces \1/8\,'' and by
renumbering paragraphs A-9 through A-20 as A-8 through A-19.
* * * * *
Done at Washington, DC, on Janaury 30, 1997.
Thomas J. Billy,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-2736 Filed 1-30-97; 3:30 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P