January 11, 2018

US to amend egg inspection regulations

The US wants to amend its egg products inspection regulations by removing unnecessary regulatory obstacles to innovation in trying to ensure they are safer for Americans to eat.

The US Department of Agricultures (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Tuesday (Jan. 9) said that under the proposed amendments to the egg products inspection regulations, egg products processors would be required to develop Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs), and to meet other sanitation requirements consistent with the meat and poultry regulations.

"FSIS is proposing that official plants will be required to produce egg products in such a way that the finished product is free of detectable pathogens", USDA said in a press release.

"The regulatory amendment also uses agency's resources more efficiently and removes unnecessary regulatory obstacles to innovation", it added.

The proposed rule aims to modernise food safety inspection systems at egg products plants. Under the HACCP system, plants can tailor a food safety system that best fits their particular facility and equipment.

Furthermore, by removing prescriptive regulations, egg products plants will have the flexibility and the incentive to innovate new means to achieve enhanced food safety.

"As we continue to modernise inspection systems and processes, we are committed to strengthening consistency across the services that FSIS inspection personnel carry out for the consuming public", said acting Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety Carmen Rottenberg.

There will be a 120-day period for comment once the rule is published in the Federal Register.  --Rick Alberto