Which of the following is not a type of regulatory control action?

• A. Slowing the line speed due to higher levels of carcass contamination
• B. Disallowing shipment of a pallet of contaminated product using a U.S. Retained tag
• C. Disallowing the use of an insanitary table using a U.S. Rejected tag
• D. Observing establishment employees holding product for testing

Answer: (D)

Regulatory control actions are measures imposed by the regulatory authority to prevent unsafe product from reaching consumers. Slowing line speed is a risk-reduction step enforced to control contamination while issues are addressed. Disallowing shipment of a contaminated pallet using a Retained tag directly blocks movement of product under regulator authority. Disallowing the use of an insanitary table with a Rejected tag similarly restricts use of equipment and the product it touches under regulatory direction. Observing establishment employees hold product for testing, in contrast, is an internal QA or investigation activity by the establishment, not an enforcement action imposed to control the product’s regulatory status. So it is not a regulatory control action.