Concepts of In-Distribution Mary Cutshall Office of Policy, Program Development, and Evaluation

Current Thinking What is the best approach to ensuring food safety in-distribution? How do we best use resources at the Federal, State, and local levels?

Who? 11 in-distribution inspectors Partnerships with state and local jurisdictions

What? Verify safety of products in-distribution Collect information –to determine how to improve approaches to verifying food safety in-distribution –to evaluate in-plant HACCP programs

Verification Food safety-driven “Other Consumer Protection” concerns also addressed

Collect Information To determine how to improve approaches to verifying food safety and OCP in-distribution

Collect Information To evaluate in-plant HACCP programs

When? In-distribution inspectors have been in place since March 2000 Evaluation ongoing for duration of project

Where? Cold storage, warehouses Retail stores Salvage operations, brokers Institutions Transporters, renderers

How? Apply performance standards in current regulations Determine whether conditions exist that may render product adulterated or misbranded Sampling

How? (continued) Proactive verification Interactive relationships Information collection

Partnerships Use Federal, State, and local resources Cooperative agreements Minnesota, Virginia, Alabama

Enforcement Actions Provisions of Meat and Poultry Acts apply Violations will be referred to district offices

Other Consumer Protections Some activities currently carried out within the plant may be best carried out while products are in distribution channels. Nutrition labeling verification

Evaluation Ongoing feedback loop Various types of information will be used for evaluation