Equivalency Determinations for Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) Testing for Countries Exporting to the United States

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will hold a meeting to discuss its approach to equivalency determinations with regard to written Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) testing with representatives of countries eligible to export meat and poultry products to the United States, constituent groups, and other interested parties. The SSOPs and E. coli testing requirements became effective on January 27, 1997, pursuant to FSIS' final rule, ``Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems,'' which was published on July 25, 1996.