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What They're Saying About Risk-Based Inspection
(RBI) in Processing Plants |
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Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Steven Cohen
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Thank you for inviting the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's (CDC) input on the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) Risk-Based Inspection initiative.
We find risk-based inspection a worthwhile concept to explore and applaud your continuous efforts to safeguard
key components of the United States' Food Supply."
American Meat Institute President and C.E.O. J. Patrick Boyle: "I wanted to acknowledge your
efforts in making the development of risk-based inspection (RBI) transparent through the public meetings held
this year to gather input on the many elements of RBI. It is through such transparent policy development that
all stakeholders can provide valuable input into the development process, helping to ensure success in making
inspection proportional to risk. The American Meat Institute will continue to work with you, your FSIS colleagues
and other stakeholders to develop a RBI system that achieves further reductions in public health risks and
leverages the inspection resources available to FSIS."
Cargill Meat Solutions, Foster Farms, George's Inc., Keystone Foods, LLC, Perdue Farms, Inc.,
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, Tyson Foods, Inc., Wayne Farms, LLC, Olsson, Frank
and Weeda, P.C.: "Dear Dr. Raymond: Thank you for taking the time to visit with
us Wednesday on enhancing public health. Your summary of the Risk Based
Inspection initiative and your openness to suggested improvements were very
well received. We look forward to continuing to work with FSIS and other
stakeholders under your leadership to make RBI and incentive based programs a reality."
National Turkey Federation: "FSIS has historically shown a strong commitment
to incorporating the latest science-based research and technology to improve inspection and protect
the health of the country. In essence, we have over the years created an RBI system. The turkey
industry applauds FSIS' dedication to the continued evolution of inspection over the past century
and is committed to working with both the Agency and other stakeholders on the development and
implementation of RBI and incentive-based programs."
Sara Lee Corporation Director, Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs Bob Reinhard: "Sara Lee Corporation
would also like to applaud the Department and the Food Safety and Inspection Service for its dedication to Risk
Based Inspection (RBI). It is our belief that this initiative will further improve an already outstanding
public health and food safety inspection system and that RBI will further enhance the confidence of the
public in the safety of the food supply. It is your devoted commitment to public health, and the tireless
efforts of those leading this initiative at FSIS, which will lead to a state-of-the-art inspection system
and successful public health outcomes for the next century."
Grocery Manufacturers of America/Food Products Association:
"We view Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond's
announced plans for moving ahead with risk-based inspection of meat
and poultry processing plants as a step forward to creating a more
effective and efficient inspection system. GMA/FPA is a strong
supporter of risk-based inspection and over the coming weeks, we
will review the specifics of the proposal and look forward to
working with all stakeholders to address any areas of concern. Under
Secretary Raymond and his staff at the Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS) should be commended for their efforts to seek input
from all stakeholders in the development of this risk-based
inspection program. The initial step in the program involves only
modest adjustments to the intensity of inspection and in a limited
number of establishments. This will provide the opportunity for
refinements to be made so that the full benefits of the program can
be applied on a wider scale. We believe that the program has the
potential to greatly reduce foodborne illnesses and increase
consumer confidence in the food supply."
NMA Associate Director Ken Mastracchio: "The
National Meat Association supports the concept of RBI, which
theoretically allows the agency to vary intensity of its inspection
services. NMA will evaluate the agency's plan, and will work closely
with its members that are designated within the system to
participate. National Meat Association participated in a two-day
meeting last October when USDA presented its preliminary plans and
invited input into this project. Today's announcement of next steps
will be accompanied by changes in the plan discussed last year that
respond to the input received from all parties."
Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director, Center for
Science in the Public Interest, (Food Chemical News, 3/5/07):
The Center for Science in the Public Interest's Food Safety Director
Caroline Smith DeWaal said that "while the plan put forth by USDA is
not perfect, it is a modest reform of a system that is based on laws
written 100 years ago, laws that need to be rewritten. In the
meantime, CSPI will support modest reforms so long as they can
demonstrate public health benefits over time…" DeWaal also said that
Under Secretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond has been responsive
to issues raised during the process, "so I think he is listening to
the criticism and making changes."
International HACCP Alliance: "The International HACCP Alliance believes that the risk-based inspection (RBI) concept
proposed by USDA' s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
provides the industry an opportunity to demonstrate that through
process control safe food can be produced with less oversight from
the Agency. The proposed RBI system would allow FSIS to focus its
inspection resources on meat and poultry establishments that process
products that have a greater risk of causing human illness."
Dr. Joe Harris, Executive Director, Southwest Meat
Association: "The Southwest Meat Association looks forward
to working with Dr. Raymond and FSIS to continue refining RBI and
its implementation. We think by working together we can arrive at a
place where meat and poultry inspection is a much more efficient
endeavor that focuses its resources where they can do the most good
to protect public health."
Dane Bernard, Vice-President, Food Safety and Quality
Assurance, Keystone Foods LLC: "Risk Based Inspection is a
concept that is timely and presents the opportunity for the next
phase in the evolution of providing adequate inspection resources.
It will be important for all stake holders to participate in the
process of determining which elements are to be considered in
determining this allocation and most importantly, what scaling
factors are to be applied in these calculations for each industry
segment."
American Association of Meat Processors: "AAMP
shares the common goals with FSIS to improve food safety and reduce
the risks to public health. We believe that risk-based inspection,
when based on criteria that adequately and accurately reflect risk,
is a logical step in allocating resources to further improve food
safety and decrease public health hazards. The experience gained by
the Agency, stakeholders, inspection personnel, and establishments
themselves with the implementation of the RBI system in the
prototype locations will be critical in making certain that the
system, when released on a national basis, is completely
functional."
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Last Modified:
June 29, 2007 |
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