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For use beginning 3/27/2008
Imported product is under the jurisdiction of FSIS. If the Vermont State Meat Inspection and Compliance Program should encounter product that has been illegally imported or smuggled in to the country, the following will occur: If a compliance investigator or inspector, while conducting surveillance activities, discovers product that has been illegally imported, smuggled, is considered an FTP, or poses a food defense concern (see FSIS Directive 5420.3 and 5420.4), he or she is to: 1. detain and control the product as set out in FSIS Directive 8410.1, Detentions and Seizures, 2. the Vermont Compliance Officer will notify the appropriate OPEER Regional Manager or OIA Regional Import Supervisor.

For use beginning 8/1/2019
This directive provides instructions for the Meat Safety Compliance and Enforcement Specialist and Compliance Investigators on how to verify whether retail stores are meeting the labeling requirements for raw or partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef at 9 CFR 317.2(e)(3), as instructed in VT Directive 8010.1, Methodology for Conducting In-Commerce Surveillance Activities. Previously, FSIS issued the instructions in this directive in FSIS Notice 33-17, Verifying Labeling of Descriptive Designation for Needle- or Blade-Tenderized Raw Beef Products As Required By 9 CFR 317.2(e)(3).

For use beginning 2/23/2024
Replaces version 11/12/2013
This directive provides the terminology, responsibilities, and public notification procedures regarding the assessment of adulterated and misbranded meat and poultry that may have entered commerce, and the voluntary recall of such products. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM), Meat Inspection Service (MIS) is revising this directive in its entirety to provide instruction regarding large volume recalls and recalls of ingredients regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It also includes new definitions for Class III recalls; clarifies when MI may publish Public Health Alerts (PHAs); and makes clarifying revisions throughout.

For use beginning 6/1/2015
This directive provides inspection program personnel (IPP) at thermal processing establishments with updated procedures to follow when an abnormal container is found by IPP or by the establishment, or when there is a process deviation during the production of thermally processed, commercially sterile (shelf-stable) canned products at an official establishment. It also addresses the review of process deviations and abnormal containers by the Policy Development Staff (PDS).

For use beginning 12/15/2018
This directive provides instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) for performing the “Big 8” Formulation Verification task in the Public Health Information System (PHIS). IPP verify that establishments are accurately controlling and labeling the eight most common (“Big 8”) food allergens in meat and poultry establishments. These allergens are designated as “major food allergens” by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) of 2004.
KEY POINTS:
II. REASON FOR REISSUANCE This directive should:
1. Emphasize that the “Big 8” Formulation Verification task is a Priority 3 task;
2. Emphasize the public health importance of verifying control of “Big 8” allergens in establishments;
3. Incorporate a shorter questionnaire;
4. Make IPP aware that the answer to the new Question 1 in the shorter questionnaire will generate a field in the Establishment Profile Report that indicates whether “Big 8” allergens are used in product formulation at the establishment; and
5. Add information about cold-pressed and highly refined oils in Attachment 1;

For use beginning 10/1/2017
This directive significantly updates instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) in cattle establishments using advanced meat recovery (AMR) systems by incorporating instructions from FSIS Notice 05-15, Interpreting Results of FSIS Verification Sampling of Domestic Beef Product Derived from Advanced Meat Recovery Systems. Using the updated instructions, IPP now verify that all beef AMR products from any cattle including veal are free of central nervous system (CNS) tissues (i.e. brain or spinal cord) and CNS-type tissues (i.e. trigeminal ganglia or dorsal root ganglia (DRG)) in accordance with 9 CFR 318.24. Specifically, this directive also updates instructions on how to schedule tasks using the Public Health Information System (PHIS), collect AMR samples, interpret laboratory test results for CNS or CNS-type tissues, and what actions to take when noncompliant product is found.
KEY POINTS:
• This directive focuses on specific verification activities associated with production of beef AMR from cattle bones
• Beef AMR product containing CNS or CNS-type tissues is not “beef” and cannot be used as an ingredient of a “meat food product”
• VAAFM will sample only AMR product produced from beef skull or vertebral column bones because these are most likely to contain CNS tissues or CNS-type tissue and therefore eligible for sampling as identified in this directive
• Establishments are required to hold or maintain control of AMR product that VAAFM samples and tests for CNS or CNS-type tissues until results are available

For use beginning 9/1/2015
This directive provides instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP), Compliance and Investigators for enforcing the regulations regarding nutrition labeling for major cuts of single-ingredient, raw meat and poultry products and ground or chopped meat and poultry products. Surveillance sampling for nutrient content of raw ground beef is described in FSIS Notice 43-14 dated 9/2/14. Instructions for collecting samples for nutrition analysis will eventually be incorporated into this directive or into a new directive specific to the subject.
KEY POINTS:
• Nutrition labeling requirements
• Exemptions from the requirements
• IPP and Investigator responsibilities

For use beginning 2/1/2016
This directive issues instructions to inspection program personnel (IPP) to verify whether establishments maintain necessary controls and records when donating certain misbranded or economically adulterated meat and poultry products to non-profit organizations. These instructions apply to IPP at official establishments. The State Meat Enforcement and Compliance Officer is to verify that in-commerce facilities maintain necessary controls and records for the donation of certain misbranded or economically adulterated meat or poultry products.

For use beginning 10/1/2020
This directive informs inspection program personnel (IPP) of the requirements, verification activities, and enforcement actions for ensuring that the handling and slaughter of livestock, including disabled livestock and livestock slaughtered by religious ritual methods, is humane. This directive provides instructions to IPP (e.g., public health veterinarian (PHV), Food Safety Specialists (FSS)) for conducting humane handling activities randomly throughout their tour of duty and provides instructions to IPP, in establishments that assert that they have put in place a systematic approach, on how to assess whether that approach is robust. PHVs are to no longer perform a monthly verification task (Verification of a Robust Systematic Approach) to determine whether an establishment maintains a robust systematic approach for humane handling as they are expected to make this assessment on an ongoing basis and inform the establishment of any status change in this regard. FSIS has modified the definition of egregious inhumane treatment and instructs IPP to document egregious inhumane treatment on a noncompliance record (NR) instead of a memorandum of interview (MOI). This revision also updates instructions for entering humane handling verification data into the Public Health Information System (PHIS).
In addition, per 6VSA 3306, establishments are currently required to submit a written humane handling plan to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets upon application for initial or renewal licensing. Establishments may choose to develop and implement a robust systematic approach for the humane handling of animals. On September 9, 2004, FSIS published a notice in the Federal Register (54 Fed. Reg. 54625) entitled “Humane Handling and Slaughter Requirements and the Merits of a Systematic Approach To Meet Such Requirements.” This Federal Register Notice 2 details the background on the humane handling and slaughter statutes issued by Congress and regulation of humane handling by FSIS. It also details steps industry should take to assure effective compliance with the Acts and regulations.

For use beginning 10/17/2016
This directive instructs inspection program personnel (IPP) how to verify that establishments effectively prevent contamination of poultry carcasses (other than ratites) throughout the slaughter and dressing operation as required in 9 CFR 381.65(f) and (g). This directive contains instructions previously found in VAAFM Notice 64-14, Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection: Verifying an Establishment’s Procedures for Preventing Contamination by Enteric Pathogens and Fecal Material, and VT Directive 6410.3 Verifying Sanitary Dressing and Process Control Procedures by Off-Line Inspection Program Personnel (IPP) in Poultry Slaughter Operations. VAAFM will no longer assign the Poultry Sanitary Dressing Verification task in the Public Health Information System (PHIS). This directive also supersedes instructions relating to poultry fecal contamination verification (Chapters III., IV., and V.) of VT Directive 6420.2, Verification of Procedures for Controlling Fecal Material, Ingesta and Milk Contamination. Lastly, this directive clarifies that the recordkeeping and sampling requirements in 9 CFR 381.65(g) are applicable to poultry establishments that slaughter under a religious exemption.
KEY POINTS
• Verifying establishments prevent contamination with feces and enteric pathogens throughout the slaughter process as part of the slaughter HACCP system
• Verifying establishments meet zero tolerance requirements for feces on poultry carcasses entering chilling system.
• Reviewing poultry slaughter establishment sampling results.