Meat Safety

Posted on November 19, 2007 by E. coli Lawyer

In an editorial titled, "Is the meat you buy safe enough?" that appears online at the Eco-Logic Powerhouse website, Henry Lamb evaluates the state of the meat industry and USDA's role in it, including the recent E. coli outbreaks linked to meat produced at Topps and Cargill.

In the editorial, Mr. Lamb analyzes what in his view is the inadequacy of the current USDA inspection system and discusses USDA's current efforts to implement an animal tracking system - which he believes is completely unnecessary.

Mr. Lamb addressed the argument that irradiation will make food safer, and suggests that if food irradiation is implemented, there will be less pressure on slaughterhouses to prevent contamination.
 

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NACMPI to meet on meat and poultry inspections

Posted on July 27, 2007 by E. coli Lawyer

FSIS announced today that the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection will hold public meetings to discuss issues related to how data is handled and public health-based inspection.

This spring, millions of pounds of ground beef and other meat products were recalled due to E. coli contamination.  In several instances, the recalled meat was identified as the source of E. coli outbreaks.

The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection advises the Secretary of Agriculture on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities, and will address the following at the meeting:
 

  • Data Collection and Analysis at FSIS: Standard Operating Procedures;
  • Technical Plan for Public Health Based Inspection; and
  • Pilot Project to Explore Mechanisms for Sharing Industry Data with FSIS.
     
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New 'virtual' inspection for meat plants proposed

Posted on October 23, 2006 by E. coli Lawyer

Former Nebraska Chief Medical Officer and current USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond proposed a system of "virtual" meat inspections, with a focus on more frequent inspections at meat plants with poor safety records.

Currently, inspectors are assigned to a specific facility or to regularly patrol several smaller plants, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Raymond’s method involves an automated system, which generates a schedule of the inspectors' weekly tasks -- ensuring that a plant is clean, checking the temperature of its ovens and refrigerators and reviewing its anti-contamination measures.

If significant problems develop at a particular plant, additional inspections can be done. But on a day-to-day basis, the system aims to create a uniform level of inspection without regard to a facility's history or the safety measures it uses.

Under the proposed risk-based system, plants would receive a risk rating based on the types of products they handle, safety measures they have in place and their track records.

Plants deemed to present a high risk would receive more intensive inspections while those with low risk would receive more cursory examinations.

The new system proposed by Dr. Raymond is controversial, and consumer groups like the Consumer Federation of America are encouraging the USDA to conduct a pilot study of the new inspection system before fully implementing it.
 

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