Washington - U.S. Agriculture Department will hold a public meeting Dec 2 to share data from five U.S. slaughter plants in its pilot project to improve food safety inspections, USDA said Tuesday.
The meeting is part of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service's analysis of the effectiveness of the current meat and poultry inspection system. The FSIS is exploring whether to shift inspectors from their traditional “poke and sniff” role and have them spend more time overseeing and verifying microbial testing by plants.
Baseline data about tainted animal carcasses were collected from three U.S. poultry plants and two hog plants between August and November, the USDA said. The information will be made public at the Dec. 2 meeting in Washington, D.C.
FSIS began the pilot project earlier this year as part of an agency plan to establish Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) rules to cut down the risk of foodborne illness from meat and poultry.
The pilot plan called for first collecting baseline data about contaminated animal carcasses under the current system, and then trying new inspection methods where FSIS employees verify microbial testing done by the plants.
Meat Industry Insights News Service
P.O. Box 553
Northport, NY 11768
Phone: 631-757-4010
Fax: 631-757-4060
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com
Return to Home Page