The FDA has just published an updated Model Ordinance NSSP Guide, which means that all the changes that were voted on in the 2017 ISSC meeting are now official, enforceable regulations.  States should be able to exercise some discretion on certain items while industry becomes familiar with new elements, but you should try to get up to speed to avoid violations.

Some of the more significant changes include:

• Dealers need to train employees on heath regulations within 30 days of hiring (a work group is being established to determine what that training should entail);
• It is no longer legal to ship a container of shellfish with both the harvester tag and the dealer tag attached. Restaurants and retail outlets should never have harvester tags in their possession; and
• As of 1/1/2019 new tagging requirements will go into effect mandating all shellfish tags have in bold print new required Food Code language:
  THIS TAG IS REQUIRED TO BE ATTACHED UNTIL CONTAINER IS EMPTY OR IS RETAGGED AND THEREAFTER KEPT ON FILE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, FOR 90 DAYS. RETAILERS: DATE WHEN LAST SHELLFISH FROM THIS CONTAINER WAS SOLD OR SERVED

The next ISSC conference is scheduled for October 5-10, 2019 at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Diego.  Mark your calendars!  If you have something in the ISSC regulations that is not working, talk to Bob Rheault and he can help you develop proposals to improve the Model Ordinance at this meeting.  Proposals are due in May, but developing them takes time so don’t wait too long.