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Statement Issued on the Safety of the U.S. Beef Supply
Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond reasserted that American beef is among the
safest in the world and does not pose human health risks. The comments were made Sunday in
Washington, D.C., at a news conference held primarily for Korean journalists.
In his prepared statement, Raymond said, "The U.S. Government believes the current agreement well
addresses the health and food safety concerns of Korean consumers. It provides for Korea's sovereign
right to conduct an audit of our facilities and to work with USDA inspection authorities if any
food safety concerns are identified. When the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) gave the
United States "controlled risk" status a year ago, it was after the world's
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy experts reviewed the preventative and food safety measures
in the United States."
"Since the requirements to export to Korea are consistent with science, U.S. requirements
as well as those of the OIE require that if any food safety concern is found, it would be fully
investigated and immediately corrected by USDA."
"I want to assure all consumers — both domestic and abroad — that the U.S. beef
supply is among the safest in the world. To help ensure its safety, USDA takes a number of steps
to prevent foodborne illness."
FSIS employs over 9,000 personnel, including 7,800 full-time in-plant and other front-line personnel
protecting the public health in approximately 6,200 federally inspected establishments nationwide.
FSIS personnel must be continuously present for slaughter operations and observe the animal both
in motion and at rest before slaughter, and every carcass after slaughter.
To read more about Dr. Raymond's statement regarding the safety of the U.S. food supply, visit FSIS'
Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Raymond_Statement_050408.pdf (PDF Only).
FSIS to Conduct Food Defense Plan Survey in August
FSIS will conduct a survey on August 1, to determine how many FSIS-regulated slaughter and processing
plants have voluntarily adopted functional food defense plans.
Prior to this date, the agency will revise the survey to assure that plans containing functional
food defense measures, but called something other than food defense plans, are considered in the
survey. A notice of instruction and training will also be provided for guidance.
Additional outreach initiatives will also be launched such as providing assistance to members at
trade association meetings on how to develop a functional food defense plan and posting "questions
and answers" specific to developing a plan into askFSIS,
on the Agency's Web site.
There are no regulatory requirements for an establishment to develop a plan; however, FSIS strongly
encourages establishments to maintain a food defense plan. A food defense plan helps to identify
steps that will help minimize the risk that food products in an establishment will be intentionally
contaminated or tampered with and it also increases preparedness.
Although the plan should be in place at all times, it may be particularly helpful during emergencies.
During a crisis, when stress is high and response time is at a premium, a documented set of
procedures will improve an establishment's ability to respond quickly. A food defense plan also helps
to maintain a safe working environment for employees, provide a quality product to customers, and
protect an establishment's bottom line.
The agency is expecting to see a goal of a 50% adoption rate since the prior two surveys in which
the adoption rate was less than 50%. Ultimately, FSIS is expecting industry to reach a goal of at
least 90% of plants adopting functional food defense plans in order to stave off the agency's move
forward with rulemaking that will mandate functional food defense plans.
To learn how to develop a functional food defense plan, visit FSIS' Web site at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Defense_&_Emergency_Response/
Guidance_Materials/index.asp.
Export Requirement Updates
The Library of Export Requirements has been updated to reflect changes in export requirements for the following:
- Costa Rica
- European Union
- Kazakhstan
- Philippines
Complete information can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
Export_Information/index.asp
Register for Public Health and Food Safety Summit on May 15 and 16
FSIS is co-sponsoring a two-day summit with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the Food and Drug Administration titled Better Communications,
Better Public Health Outcomes: Strategies for Improved Coordination During Foodborne Outbreaks.
The meeting will be held May 15-16 at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand and Suites Hotel, 800 Washington
Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri.
The summit will include a public meeting and an invitation-only simulation exercise. The steering
committee will include representation from member organizations of the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response
(CIFOR), as well as other stakeholders.
CIFOR is a multidisciplinary working group whose mission is to increase collaboration across the
country to reduce the burden of foodborne illness in the United States. As a member, FSIS recognizes
the excellent and important work already being done by CIFOR and plans to continue active participation
in future efforts.
Online registration can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
Meetings_&_Events/index.asp.
FSIS Issues Notice
Last week, FSIS issued Notice 35-08 titled: "Verification of Carcasses that an Establishment
Further Processes Without an Official Inspection Legend" (PDF Only).
This notice provides inspection program personnel with clarification related to establishments that
elect not to have the mark of inspection applied to carcasses that will remain in the facility
for further processing.
This notice is available on FSIS' Web site at
www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/
FSIS_Notices_Index/index.asp.
Agency Launches "Food Safety at Home" Podcast Service for Consumers
This week, FSIS launched the "Food Safety at Home" series
of podcasts that offers consumers another method of obtaining food safety information for meat,
poultry and processed egg products.
Users can currently hear an introduction to this series by USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr.
Richard Raymond. The first topic presented by food safety specialists is the "Is it done yet?"
campaign which discusses the importance of using a food thermometer to check the internal
temperature of meat, poultry and egg dishes to ensure food is thoroughly cooked.
Additional food safety topics such as what to do during a power outage; the four food safety
messages of clean, separate, cook, chill as well as tips from the Meat and Poultry Hotline
are just some of the future topics that will be presented in these short, factual audio files.
To listen to individual podcasts or sign up for a free subscription, visit
www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/
podcasts/index.asp. For
assistance or details concerning FSIS podcasts, send an e-mail to podcast@fsis.usda.gov.
FSIS Posts Compliance Guideline for Controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter in Poultry
FSIS has posted on its Web site the second edition of the Compliance Guideline for Controlling S
almonella and Campylobacter in Poultry.
The updated guideline includes recommendations for controlling both Salmonella and Campylobacter.
The compliance guideline describes concerns and validated controls for each step in the broiler
slaughter process. It targets small and very small poultry plants to help them better comply with
regulatory requirements.
The compliance guide includes the following changes:
- Addition of guidance for the control of Campylobacter both at pre-harvest and during slaughter processing;
- Updated information regarding progress on implementation of the Salmonella verification program;
- Information for controlling Salmonella Enteritidis at pre-harvest provided in Appendix A;
- Information on current research by FSIS and the Agricultural Research Service; and
- Examples of case studies as additional ways of validating a plant's food system.
To view the Compliance Guideline for Controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter in Poultry on FSIS'
Web site, go to www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/
Compliance_Guideline_Controlling_Salmonella_Poultry.pdf (PDF Only).
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Last Modified:
May 9, 2008 |
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