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A
new risk-based inspection program of meat plants, which
was to roll out this month at 30 prototype sites, could
be delayed by as little as a month or as long as two to
three months, depending on the source.
Food Safety and Inspection Service spokesman Steve Cohen
indicated that the program will still likely roll out this
spring, but "probably not [in] April." FSIS Under Secretary
Richard Raymond told members of Congress FSIS may delay
implementation until June or July.
RBI seeks to deploy FSIS inspectors where they are needed
most, in accordance with the risks associated with a product,
process or food-safety program. All plants will remain subject
to daily inspection, though some may be subject to more
than others.
Although several industry groups have endorsed the plan,
others question whether FSIS has gathered all the data necessary
to establish the algorithms it will use to determine a plant's
risk.
Meantime, FSIS has launched a series of technical summits
to explain to stakeholders how the program was developed
and how it will be implemented. An April 25 meeting will
focus on production volume as an element used to calculate
inherent risk, while an April 30 meeting will discuss the
potential use of industry-generated data to inform policy.
A technical meeting on the expert elicitation process is
also planned, though a date for the event has yet to be
announced.
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