CatfishSwimmingMainThe final U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) catfish inspection rule, which was published in the Federal Register last Dec. 2, becomes fully effective in just a few days on March 1. And USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will conducting a series of education meetings on the new final rule during March. The marquee over these events will read: “Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the Order Siluriformes and Products Derived from Such Fish”. The purpose of the meetings is to explain and review the regulatory requirements contained in the final rule as they apply to importers. Pre-registration for the meeting is available. The meetings will be held on the following dates in the specified cities:

  • March 3, 2016, Newark, NJ: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET, Rutgers University – Newark, School of Public Affairs, The Great Hall, 15 Washington Street, Newark, N.J.  07102. For directions, please visit: https://www.newark.rutgers.edu/directions-and-parking.
  • March 17, 2016, Los Angeles, CA: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm PT, Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 W. Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif. 90045.
  • March 24, 2016, Houston, TX: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm CT, Hilton Houston North, 12400 Greenspoint Drive Houston, Texas 77060.

FSIS held meetings during January in Washington D.C. and on the campus of Mississippi State University in Stoneville that were directed at domestic catfish farmers.   (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)