Mexico Current HRZs Should Suffice Through November 12
Mexico
Current HRZs Should Suffice Through November 12
The USDA met with representatives of Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food Products (SAGARPA) yesterday on the issue of the validity of Hojas de Requistos Zoosanitarios (HRZ). The Office of Agricultural Affairs in Mexico City gave USMEF the following summary of the meeting:
- USDA was told that a notice will be issued to border inspectors on Friday (Oct. 29) telling them that they should continue to disregard (as they have done since early October) the new requirements currently scheduled to become effective on Oct. 30.
- USDA and SAGARPA agreed that this waiver will be in effect until Nov. 12 to provide exporters/importers and USDA with sufficient time to prepare for the adjustment to the new requirements. Hence, with the waiver in place, importers will continue to be able to export with the HRZs they purchase today through Nov. 12.
- USDA doubts that the new HRZs will be available for purchase or viewing until Wednesday of next week (Nov. 3). Tuesday is a holiday in Mexico.
- Once USDA has the HRZs, it will translate them and send them to the Food Safety And Inspection Service (FSIS) for the FSIS Export Library of Requirements, which will probably take another three working days.
- HRZs are technically effective for 60 days, but, since the waiver of the October 30 requirements will be in place until November 12, companies could run a risk of problems at the border after November 12 with the old HRZ.
The HRZ issue will not stop FSIS from issuing export certificates for Mexico.
China
New Labeling Requirements Online
The Food Safety And Inspection Service (FSIS) has posted a preliminary version of the new labeling requirements for red meat products destined for China online:
- Preliminary information indicates that additional labeling requirements will go into effect for all meat and poultry and meat and poultry products departing the United States on or after December 1, 2004. The information is provided here, but is subject to change. Any additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
- An additional label should be placed inside the meat or poultry carton or packaging. The label should indicate the commercial name of the product.
- The label should be bilingual in Chinese and English and should be placed either on the inside packaging (adhered to vacuum packaging or the poly bag), or placed inside the inner packaging. The inner product label should not be placed loosely in the carton or in a location that is not easily viewed by inspectors.
- Any format of the bilingual inner product label is acceptable to China as long as the label clearly states the product name. There are no restrictions on the label size, color, size of the wording, or any other format characteristics as long as the label is legible and easy to read. For example, a label on which a checklist of different meat and poultry items appears is acceptable, as long as the correct product contained in the packaging is clearly identified on the checklist.
- There is no change in the existing labeling requirement that the establishment number must appear on the inner packaging.
- Product intended for further processing in China does not require the establishment number and product name on the inner packaging material. These products can be packaged in wax-lined cartons.
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and FSIS told USMEF that these requirements are subject to change as USDA is still seeking clarification on several points. FAS and FSIS were notified this morning that the requirements would be applied to shipments leaving the U.S. after December 1, 2004.
If you have further questions, please contact Paul Clayton (pclayton@usmef.org), Ann Spaeth (aspaeth@usmef.org), or Kevin Smith (ksmith@usmef.org)
Mexico
Current HRZs Should Suffice Through November 12
The USDA met with representatives of Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food Products (SAGARPA) yesterday on the issue of the validity of Hojas de Requistos Zoosanitarios (HRZ). The Office of Agricultural Affairs in Mexico City gave USMEF the following summary of the meeting:
- USDA was told that a notice will be issued to border inspectors on Friday (Oct. 29) telling them that they should continue to disregard (as they have done since early October) the new requirements currently scheduled to become effective on Oct. 30.
- USDA and SAGARPA agreed that this waiver will be in effect until Nov. 12 to provide exporters/importers and USDA with sufficient time to prepare for the adjustment to the new requirements. Hence, with the waiver in place, importers will continue to be able to export with the HRZs they purchase today through Nov. 12.
- USDA doubts that the new HRZs will be available for purchase or viewing until Wednesday of next week (Nov. 3). Tuesday is a holiday in Mexico.
- Once USDA has the HRZs, it will translate them and send them to the Food Safety And Inspection Service (FSIS) for the FSIS Export Library of Requirements, which will probably take another three working days.
- HRZs are technically effective for 60 days, but, since the waiver of the October 30 requirements will be in place until November 12, companies could run a risk of problems at the border after November 12 with the old HRZ.
The HRZ issue will not stop FSIS from issuing export certificates for Mexico.
China
New Labeling Requirements Online
The Food Safety And Inspection Service (FSIS) has posted a preliminary version of the new labeling requirements for red meat products destined for China online:
- Preliminary information indicates that additional labeling requirements will go into effect for all meat and poultry and meat and poultry products departing the United States on or after December 1, 2004. The information is provided here, but is subject to change. Any additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
- An additional label should be placed inside the meat or poultry carton or packaging. The label should indicate the commercial name of the product.
- The label should be bilingual in Chinese and English and should be placed either on the inside packaging (adhered to vacuum packaging or the poly bag), or placed inside the inner packaging. The inner product label should not be placed loosely in the carton or in a location that is not easily viewed by inspectors.
- Any format of the bilingual inner product label is acceptable to China as long as the label clearly states the product name. There are no restrictions on the label size, color, size of the wording, or any other format characteristics as long as the label is legible and easy to read. For example, a label on which a checklist of different meat and poultry items appears is acceptable, as long as the correct product contained in the packaging is clearly identified on the checklist.
- There is no change in the existing labeling requirement that the establishment number must appear on the inner packaging.
- Product intended for further processing in China does not require the establishment number and product name on the inner packaging material. These products can be packaged in wax-lined cartons.
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and FSIS told USMEF that these requirements are subject to change as USDA is still seeking clarification on several points. FAS and FSIS were notified this morning that the requirements would be applied to shipments leaving the U.S. after December 1, 2004.
If you have further questions, please contact Paul Clayton (pclayton@usmef.org), Ann Spaeth (aspaeth@usmef.org), or Kevin Smith (ksmith@usmef.org)