Elimination of Requirements for Partial Quality Control Programs

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the meat and poultry products inspection regulations by removing the remaining requirements pertaining to partial quality control (PQC) programs. A PQC program controls a single product, operation, or part of an operation in a meat or poultry establishment. FSIS is removing the design requirements for PQC programs and the requirements for establishments to have PQC programs for certain products or processes. For example, poultry slaughtering establishments operating under the New Line Speed (NELS) inspection system and the New Turkey Inspection System (NTIS) will no longer be required to operate PQC programs in conjunction with those systems. FSIS also is removing from the thermal processing regulations all requirements concerning PQC programs, the requirements for case-by-case FSIS approval of systems and devices not specified in the regulations, and several other prior approval requirements. The amended regulations will be more consistent with the Pathogen Reduction (PR)/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) regulations and inspected establishments will have greater flexibility to adopt new technologies and methods that will improve food safety and other consumer protections.