1997 Annual Report/Feeding more Children and Families

1997 Annual Report of the Secretary of Agriculture
A Change for the Better

4. Raising Consumers’ Confidence in Food Safety

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a public health agency in USDA, protects consumers by ensuring that meat, poultry, and egg products are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. FSIS regulates meat, poultry, and egg products.

FSIS regulates all raw beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey, as well as processed meat and poultry products, including hams, sausage, soups, stews, pizzas, and frozen dinners (any product that contains 2 percent or more cooked poultry or 3 percent or more raw meat). Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, FSIS inspects all meat, poultry, and eggs prepared for distribution in commerce, including imported products. More than 7,500 Federal inspectors carry out inspection laws in about 6,000 plants. There are 104 inspectors in 76 federally inspected egg plants.

Foodborne illness is recognized as a significant public health problem in the United States. Precise data on the incidence of illness attributable to meat, poultry, or egg products are limited, but data from varied sources suggest that foodborne microbial pathogens may account for up to 81 million cases of foodborne illness each year.

FSIS develops and improves analytical procedures for detecting microbiological and chemical adulterants and infectious and toxic agents in meat and poultry products. The agency also develops new methods of inspection to better protect the public health, and it responds to microbiological, residue, and other contamination incidents and, when appropriate, seeks voluntary recall of products by firms. FSIS works closely with other Government entities (such as USDA’s Agricultural Research Service) in a multi-agency effort to improve food safety.

FSIS is carrying out a broad and long-term, science-based strategy to improve the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products and to better protect public health. FSIS is undertaking a farm-to-table approach by taking steps to improve the safety of meat, poultry, and eggs at each step in the food production, processing, distribution, and marketing chain. These steps are designed to focus more attention on the risk of microbial contamination, the Nation’s most significant food safety problem.

Year at a Glance

Required all federally inspected meat and poultry processing plants to implement the first two elements of the new Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point inspection system to reduce human exposure to meat- and poultry-borne pathogens.
Promoted efforts to address food safety risks on the farm and during transportation and distribution.
Intensified research efforts into foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli.
Developed a mixture of microorganisms that, when added to feed for young chickens, prevent Salmonella from thriving. This technology, called competitive exclusion, represents another important tool to assure a safe food supply for U.S. and export markets.
Unveiled “Fight BAC,” a new national food safety education campaign developed and supported by a public-private partnership of industry, government, and consumer groups.
Proposed Food Safety legislation that would authorize civil penalties for violations rather than relying on closing plants.



Accomplishment Highlights

Safe Food Campaign Urges Americans To Fight BAC! Secretary Glickman joined with U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna Shalala to announce a new national food safety education campaign October 24, 1997, calling on Americans to “Fight BAC!” and reduce foodborne illness by confronting the invisible enemy of foodborne bacteria. The campaign will be the cornerstone of one of the most far-reaching and ambitious public education campaigns ever focused on safe food handling using new, innovative approaches to teach basic sanitation and food handling steps. Developed by the Partnership for Food Safety Education, a coalition of industry, government, and consumer groups, the campaign will use innovative approaches to teach basic sanitation and food handling steps that will greatly reduce the risk for food-related illness.

Food Safety Publication Helps Keep Kids Safe
In March 1997, USDA released “Keeping Kids Safe,” a child care/food safety publication for child care providers. It was distributed, along with a food safety coloring book, to 82,000 day care centers to give child care providers basic information on safe food handling, food safety, and sanitation. By the year 2000, an estimated 75 percent of American children under age 5 will be cared for outside the home.

President’s Food Safety Initiative
The Department of Agriculture participated in the development and implementation of the President’s Food Safety Initiative, the government-wide effort to enhance the safety of America’s food supply. This initiative includes using effective interventions to prevent foodborne hazards and innovative approaches to food safety research and education. As part of the initiative, USDA announced the expansion of food safety research, training, and education and the broadening of the early warning system for foodborne illnesses.

Tougher Food Safety Enforcement Proposed
USDA proposed legislation to Congress to amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act to increase food safety enforcement authorities--the Food Safety Enforcement Enhancement Act of 1997.

FoodNet--Fighting Pathogens With Science
In FY 1997, FSIS continued to support sentinel site surveys at five locations in the United States under an agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The multi-year study provides baseline data on the incidence of foodborne illness in the United States that is attributable to consumption of meat, poultry, and egg products. Data collected through FY 1997 indicate that Campylobacter is most often associated with cases of foodborne illness. The Food and Drug Administration is a partner in the FoodNet effort to collect more accurate data.

HACCP Now a Requirement
A final rule on Pathogen Reduction/HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) was published, requiring all meat and poultry slaughtering and processing establishments to implement HACCP systems and to adopt and follow written Standard Operating Procedures for sanitation. Slaughter plants are also required to conduct microbial testing for generic E. coli.

USDA Helps Fight for Safe Food
USDA made strides in the important area of food safety during 1997 through the following significant accomplishments:

Participated in the development of a Presidential Directive that directs USDA, HHS, and the Environmental Protection Agency to take action to strengthen the safety of all foods, including imported fruits and vegetables, from farm to table.
Held a public meeting to discuss the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) policy on recalls of meat, poultry, and egg products, including public notification procedures.
Identified more than 400 pages of burdensome and unnecessary regulations as candidates for elimination or change so that inspectors and plants could better focus their resources on food safety.
Developed public information programs and educational materials about safe food handling, targeting specific audiences such as school children, day care centers, pediatricians, fast food restaurant workers, senior citizens, and State and local health departments.
Established an FSIS liaison at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to assist in tracking foodborne illness trends and causes, and established a program to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks.
Elevated food safety responsibilities to a new Subcabinet Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety. The Under Secretary's role is to focus on long-term planning, policy development, and the legislative agenda required to ensure food safety.
Increased funding for food safety research, including the development of methods to detect and enumerate E. coli 0157:H7.
Initiated review of process controls used for fermented dry sausage and recommended revisions to industry’s Good Manufacturing Practices.
Accelerated the review of requests for trials of technologies designed to improve food safety in meat and poultry plants.

Combating Adulteration and Contamination

In FY 1997, FSIS oversaw actions on 25 meat and poultry product recalls, totaling 27.5 million pounds, including 8 beef recalls, 8 poultry recalls, 5 pork recalls, and 4 multi-species recalls. Primary causes were microbiological (9 cases), extraneous material (5), underprocessing (4), undeclared substance such as bone, grease, metal, and plastic (4), chemical (1), drugs, (1), and misbranding (1).
There were 25 recalls involving 6 different egg products, totaling 355,641 pounds, because of potential contamination with either Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes.
FSIS assisted State health departments with 13 E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak investigations in FY 1997. Assistance included laboratory analysis, product traceback, identification of outbreak-related cases, recall of suspect product, and public notification of recalls.
FSIS began a Consumer Surveillance Information System to detect problems with meat, poultry, and egg products through consumer complaints. The system logged 448 consumer complaints, with 50 percent of the cases involving complaints alleging foodborne illness; 42 percent alleging foreign materials contamination; 2 percent, allergic reactions to unlabeled ingredients; and 6 percent, other categories. The system serves as an adjunct to the product recall process by locating potentially hazardous products already in the market that should be removed from commerce.

Promoting International Cooperation for Food Safety

In 1997, FSIS inspected 2.5 billion pounds of imported meat and poultry from 33 countries; inspectors refused entry of 9.5 million pounds of imported meat and poultry products.
On-site reviews of inspection programs were conducted in 21 countries that export meat and poultry to the United States.
Residue control programs of 37 exporting countries were given certification.
A total of 4.l million pounds of egg products were imported from Canada. Joint reviews were conducted with officials of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada of two accredited laboratories and the four egg products plants approved to export to the United States to verify that the Canadian and U.S. systems remain equivalent.
Exports to over 75 countries were facilitated by FSIS in 1997, with a total of 3.1 billion pounds of meat and 4.3 billion pounds of poultry exported by the United States.

International Cooperation
Food safety is an important component of global food security, and USDA has ongoing efforts to transfer existing food safety technologies to foreign cooperators, and to develop new technologies in cooperation with them. One successful technology transfer is a project that allowed USDA to provide relevant information to the Bulgarian government concerning health risks associated with rice grown in a region contaminated with arsenic. Subsequent efforts have focused on developing new phytoremediation techniques using plants to detoxify contaminated soils.

Meat and Poultry Hotline
The toll-free Meat and Poultry Hotline continues to provide answers to specific consumer and media questions about food safety issues, and addresses concerns about the safety of the Nation’s food supply. In 1997, the Hotline received more than 185,000 calls. The two highest volume periods were late August (during a beef patty recall), and Thanksgiving week (when consumers are very concerned about safe preparation of their holiday meals). People can receive recorded information 24 hours a day on food safety and handling; on the busiest days in 1997, Hotline food safety specialists spoke with about 400 callers per day. The Hotline also issues news feature stories, fact sheets, and video news releases on food safety. The Meat and Poultry Hotline number is 1-800-535-4555 (in the Washington, DC, area call 202-720-3333).

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