The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has issued the 60th revision to Directive 7120.1, which governs the safe and suitable ingredients permitted in the production of meat, poultry and egg products.
Released on January 27, the update provides inspection program personnel with the most current changes to substances that may be used in federally inspected products. The revision also updates terminology to better align with FSIS process categories. As part of this change, the term “ready-to-eat meat and poultry products” replaces the previous description of “processed and preformed meat and poultry products.” These terminology updates are incorporated into FSIS’s complete list of safe and suitable ingredients.
Under the revised approach, Directive 7120.1 no longer includes a full list of approved substances, nor does it contain the On-Line Reprocessing or Off-Line Reprocessing antimicrobial intervention system listings. Instead, the directive now focuses on highlighting recent changes to ingredient approvals and classifications, with the full listings maintained separately by FSIS.
Additional information on acceptable food ingredients continues to be available in federal regulations at 9 CFR 424.21(c). FSIS emphasized that Directive 7120.1 and related documents do not override existing regulations, including standards of identity outlined in 9 CFR 319 and 9 CFR 381 subpart P. Inspection personnel are responsible for verifying that establishments use listed substances in full compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements.
Further details on the revision, including a comprehensive summary of updated substances and labeling considerations, are available through the FSIS website.
