International HACCP Alliance
Board of Directors
Meeting
Attendees: Rita Fullem, Barbara Masters, Joe Harris, Marty Holmes, James Denton, Steve Krut, Melvin Hunt, Brian Pugliese, Leon Russell, Jeff Savell, Rosemary Mucklow, Merle Pierson, Bill Brown, Michael De La Zerda, Bryan Johnson, Gary Coleman, Rena Pierami, Don Dalton, Kerri Harris.
The Board meeting of the International HACCP Alliance was held on March 1, 2001 in Atlanta, GA.
The meeting was called to order by Don Dalton, Chairman. After a brief welcome and introductions of the Board members and meeting participants, the agenda was presented for approval, motion made by Rosemary Mucklow, seconded by James Denton to approve the agenda, motion carried. Minutes from the board meeting on December 5, 2000 were presented; motion made by Leon Russell and seconded by Rosemary Mucklow to accept the minutes; motion carried.
Don Dalton reviewed the financial report for FY 2000. Rosemary Mucklow made a motion to accept the financial report, Rita Fullem seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
Don Dalton presented a report of the Executive Committee. There were three recommendations to the board from the Executive Committee:
This concluded the Executive Committee Meeting report.
The Training Committee report was presented by Rita
Fullem. The following Train-the-Trainer programs have been conducted
or scheduled since the December board meeting.
· December 19-21, 2000; Springdale, AR, Tyson Foods, (30 participants)
· January 23-25, 2001; Washington, D.C.; Japanese, (21 participants)
· May 8-10, 2001; Washington, D.C.
Rosemary Mucklow recognized the in-kind contribution of the Food Processors Institute in relationship to the Train-the-Trainer course, and thanked them on behalf of the board. Rita Fullem made a motion to accept the training committee report, Leon Russell seconded the motion; motion carried. Rita Fullem requested that the training committee report to amended to include the discussion from the Executive Committee to encourage the use of the Allliance’s gold foil seal on any accredited course. It was noted that the seal adds credibility and should be include on the certificates. Rosemary Mucklow noted that the accreditation seal also helps to increase Alliance visibility. It was noted that courses have been taught outside of the meat and poultry industry – for feedlots, vegetable producers, pecan growers, etc.; therefore, the seals help broaden the recognition that the International HACCP Alliance is no longer just meat and poultry. It was recommended that the Executive Committee should review the accreditation packet and recommend revisions as needed. Motion made by Rita Fullem to accept the amended report; seconded by Leon Russell; motion carried.
Dr. Barbara Masters presented the following update on FSIS activities.
· Second HACCP Expert Course for agency personnel is being conducted in College Station. Approximately one-half of the participants are from the Technical Service Center and one-half from the agency headquarters.
· The role of the District office is going to be reviewed. The District Managers have expressed concerns about the role of the District Office, number of offices, structure, etc.
· Plans for FSIS’s The Next Steps are continuing. The agency is trying to work with industry to improve food safety, and to fill in the gaps between farm to table.
· The industry petition on revising the HACCP regulation is still be evaluated.
· HIMPs projects – The appeal has received a decision and the judge stated that the HIMP revisions meet requirements. The Union is planning to appeal. There are still five open slots on the HIMP project and these will probably be filled by broiler plants. It has been recommended that the agency use a pool of Technical consultants from Headquarters or the Tech Center rather than just assigned one per plant.
· Residues in a HACCP program. A follow-up and correlation has been recommended. This would allow going into the 100 cull-cattle plants trying to share information and make sure field personnel have adequate equipment and understand the issues. Humane handling will also be addressed to make sure that industry is following human handling practices.
· New Correlation Efforts are being led by Bobby Palaseno, Branch Chief for Domestic Review Division. The correlations will focus on districts to obtain information on key issues and areas of concern. Correlations are hoped to include both industry and agency personnel.
· Consumer Safety Officers – Plans are moving forward for filling the CSO positions. Currently it is thought that the CSOs will be assigned to a district office rather than a plant and will work on correlation efforts. An agency survey showed that approximately 760 current employees meet the CSO requirements.
· Ratite and Squab establishments are required to meet the HACCP regulations as of April 26, 2001.
· Retained Water Rule was published and the effective date is Jan. 9th 2002. It states that you can only have retained moisture if it is inevitable to meet the food safety performance standards and if there is added water then it must be on the label.
· Performance Standards for Ready-to-Eat products was discussed and it was noted that the comment period is still open.
This concluded the FSIS update.
The Alliance recognizes the importance and actions of the Technical Service Center staff. It was noted that the Technical Service Center staff provide a very quick response and are very capable of addressing issues. Dr. Thompson and the staff are commended on a job well done.
Jeff Savell presented a report from the Global HACCP Conference Committee. The report identified key topics, proposed dates and potential hotels, and options for the budget. Discussion noted that the budget options probably underestimated the expense of the meals/breaks. It was also noted that the Alliance accepts the fact that reserve funds may be needed to cover some of the expenses. It was agreed that if a speaker is from a company, then the company should pay their expenses. Options for other locations and dates were discussed, as well as the possibility of joining with other meetings. It was agreed to proceed with planning for a stand-alone event in December if hotel space is available. Rosemary Mucklow made a motion that the board endorse the outline as presented and charge the Global HACCP Conference Committee with moving forward with the planning of the conference with financial oversight from the Executive Director and Executive Committee with the understanding that the registration fee will be maintained at the lowest feasible rate. Joe Harris seconded the motion, and motion passed.
New Business:
A brief discussion was held on the FDA regulation for juice HACCP. It was agreed that the International HACCP Alliance should explore possible roles in this area since some of the accredited training courses are being taught for this audience. FDA will be contacted to determine how they are proceeding and discuss participation.
BSE was discussed at length, and it was agreed that the Alliance might be able to play a role in the certification programs that are currently being discussed and implemented. Several of the board members are participating in conference calls and meetings of other associations such as the National Renderers Association, American Feed Association, Livestock Marketing Association, etc. These board members will explore the role of the Alliance as this area progresses. It was agreed that the Alliance should be available to participate in this effort as needed to assist the industry.
It was recommended that the next meeting be held in September. Marty Holmes offered to host the meeting at the NAMP headquarters in Reston, VA. No further issues were raised and a motion was made by Rosemary Mucklow to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Joe Harris, and the meeting was adjourned.