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EdNetOctober 2014EdNet, the National Food Safety Educator’s Network, is a monthly, multi-agency electronic news journal from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). EdNet provides up-to-date information about food safety and nutrition programs and activities for educators, consumer advocates, government officials, and industry representatives. If you have questions or comments about this issue of EdNet, contact the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN-FDA) 
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In this issue: Resources for Educators
Meetings, Conferences, and Workshops
Industry
Resources for EducatorsHalloween Food Safety Tips for ParentsCheck out these simple tips to help your kids have a safe Halloween. To view the tips, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/BuyStoreServeSafeFood/ucm187021.htm USDA Blog: Women are the Past, Present and Future of American AgricultureOn October 17, 2014, a blog was posted by Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, titled Women are the Past, Present and Future of American Agriculture. Read this blog: http://blogs.usda.gov/category/food-safety/ USDA Awards Funding for Regional Centers of Excellence in Nutrition Education and Obesity PreventionOn October 17, 2014, the USDA awarded $4 million in grants to establish four regional centers of excellence for research on nutrition education and obesity prevention, as well as a coordinating center, which will develop and test innovative nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions for underserved, low-income families. Read this news release: http://www.fns.usda.gov/pressrelease/2014/023014 FDA: National Seafood MonthSeafood can be an important part of a healthy diet. Learn how to buy, prepare and store your seafood safely. For detailed information, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/BuyStoreServeSafeFood/ucm077331.htm USDA Blog: Farm-to-School and School Nutrition Programs-- Dedicated to Serving Healthy Fresh Food On October 16, 2014, a blog was posted by Nancy R. Mears, Supervisor of School Nutrition, Delaware, highlighting the efforts of hard working school nutrition professionals who are dedicated to making the healthy choice the easy choice at schools across the country. Read this blog: Agricultural Research Magazine, October 2014 The October 2014 issue of the Agricultural Research Magazine from USDA's Agricultural Research Service is now available. View online: Meetings, Conferences, and WorkshopsFDA to Hold Public Meeting on Updates to RedbookFDA will hold an open meeting on December 9, 2014 to receive input from the public on updating the Guidance for Industry “Toxicological Principles for the Safety Assessment of Food Ingredients,” also known as the “Redbook." The meeting will take place at the Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD, 20740, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Public Meeting attendees are encouraged to register on-line to attend the meeting in person and via live webcast. For additional information, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm420525.htm FDA to Hold FSMA Supplemental Notices of Proposed Rulemaking Public MeetingFDA announced a public meeting to discuss proposed changes to four rules originally proposed in 2013 to implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). In response to the comments received on these foundational FSMA proposed rules, FDA issued supplemental notices of proposed rulemaking that propose changes and updates to four of the proposed FSMA rules. The meeting will be held November 13, 2014, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm at the Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740. For additional information about this public meeting and the supplemental notices of proposed rulemaking, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm418931.htm FSIS: Updated Generic Labeling Q & A’s PublishedEffective Jan. 6, 2014, FSIS expanded the circumstances in which labels may be considered generically approved, allowing establishments to label a broader range of products without first submitting the label to the agency for approval. FSIS recently expanded a series of questions and answers clarifying the new generic labeling regulations. The Q & A’s can be found on the FSIS website at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulatory-compliance/labeling/labeling-policies/faq-generic-labeling IndustryFDA Develops Online Learning Module to Help Ensure Proper Labeling of Seafood ProductsFDA has developed an online learning module to help the seafood industry, retailers, and state regulators ensure the proper labeling of seafood products offered for sale in the U.S. marketplace. Proper identification of seafood is important throughout the seafood supply chain to ensure that appropriate food safety controls are implemented and that consumers are getting the type of seafood they expect and for which they are paying. For more information, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm420191.htm FDA Alerts Egg and Egg Product Exporters to New USDA ProceduresFDA reminds exporters of food products containing eggs or egg products regulated by FDA that export certificates for these products will be issued by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) as of November 10, 2014. These certificates had been previously issued by USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). For additional information, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm419483.htm FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Update: Redline Versions Now AvailableRedline versions of the codified text of four proposed supplemental rules (Produce Safety, Preventive Controls for Human Food, Preventive Controls for Animal Food, and Foreign Supplier Verification Programs) are now available. The redline versions allow you to see how the proposed codified text has been modified from the original proposal. To view the redline versions, go to: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Update: Fact Sheet Translations Now AvailableTranslations of the facts sheets of four proposed supplemental rules (Produce Safety, Preventive Controls for Human Food, Preventive Controls for Animal Food, and Foreign Supplier Verification Programs) are now available. To view these translations and more information on the proposed rules, visit: FSIS 2014 Food Defense Plan SurveyFSIS completed the 9th Annual Food Defense Plan Survey in July and August 2014. As in 2013, the survey covered meat and poultry slaughter and processing establishments, processed egg products plants and official import inspection establishments. For questions and additional assistance, contact the Food Defense Assessment Staff at FoodDefense@fsis.usda.gov. Any policy-related questions can also be addressed through the Policy Development Division at http://askfsis.custhelp.com or (800) 233-3935. Read more about the Survey, or documents related to food defense and guidance at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fooddefense FDA: Food Facility Biennial Registration RenewalFood facilities required to register with FDA must renew their food facility registrations this year during the period beginning on October 1, 2014 and ending on December 31, 2014. FDA encourages food facilities to renew their registrations early on in the three-month renewal period. For additional information, go to: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm416121.htm FSIS: Industry PHIS Reports EnhancedFSIS is announcing a key enhancement to the PHIS Reports available for industry subscribers to PHIS. FSIS has updated PHIS to allow industry users to filter their reports using a date range. This new feature allows the report to only return data for the time period set by the user. For industry users who are interested in signing up for PHIS access, information on how to do that can be found on the FSIS website at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AElFWnuVVew&feature=youtu.be Update: FSIS Testing for E. coliFSIS posts bi-weekly updates for the agency’s raw ground beef E. coli sampling program. Included are testing results of raw ground beef component samples for E. coli O157:H7 and STECs from FSIS routine and follow-up sampling programs. Also featured is data for non-O157 STECs by each non-O157 STEC serogroup. To review testing results, visit the E. coli data tables at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/microbiology/ec Get Answers at AskFSISAskFSIS is a web-based technology and policy question-and-answer forum on topics such as exporting, labeling, inspection, programs and procedures. In addition, AskFSIS offers Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds that link back to the Q&As. To view recently posted topics, visit: FSIS: Customer Account Statement for Reimbursable ServicesIn June 2014, FSIS experienced billing issues with the Federal accounting system, which delayed some of the agency’s bills. The problem has been corrected, so the September and October statements will be larger than normal as FSIS catches up on the outstanding billing documents. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call 515-334-2000, then option 1, or email fsis.billing@fsis.usda.gov See FSIS’ Constituent Update: FSIS Policy UpdatesFSIS issues Notices and Directives to protect public health. The following policy updates were recently issued:
All Notices and Directives are available at: Syndicated Content Details:
Source URL: http://www.foodsafety.gov/news/educators/ednetoctober2014.html Source Agency: Health and Human Services (HHS) Captured Date: 2014-12-11 03:50:44.0
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