A22-Umcastor Farming, Saturday, October 2, 1993 Northeast Poultry Show Attracts Hundreds Quality Assurance May Stem Foodborne Illness Problems (Contlnuad from Pago A 1) ter on Wednesday morning that in the last decade, salmonella cases have doubled. And while better methods have been developed to identify and document outbreaks, little has been done to implement industry-wide ’programs to make sure, from producer to retailer, that SE and other foodborne diseases are kept in check. In a listeria outbreak because of contaminated Mexican-style cheese in California recently, law suits totalling $lOO million were filed. The listeria bacteria was found “top to bottom” in a pro cessing plant, said Doores. The company went bankrupt as a result, and not only were company officials fined heavily, many went to jail. Education and enforcement about poultry production and pre paration are critical if the problems of foodbome illnesses are stopped. And although the experts and the general public disagree on some of the concerns about food poisoning (scientists are more worrcd about microorganisms, and the general public worries more about pesti cide residues in food), both agree that the perception of foodbome illness problems has risen in light of new outbreaks (particularly the recent E. coli in beef outbreak at a fast food outlet). Companies can do a lot to pro tect themselves by training work ers properly and keeping good records of the whole processing operation. Consumers need to understand how to prepare food WRAP IN THE QUALITY WITH A FULL RANGE OF BALE WRAPPERS FOR FARMERS AND CONTRACTORS ■ Mounted and trailed machines. ■ In Cab cable controls with the option of electric on the TR76. ■ Handles bales up to 5' 6" in diameter and up to 1200 kg in weight ■ Handles 500 mm or 750 mm film ■ Twin rams on TR76 loading arm ■ Mechanical cut and hold on TR76. ■ Bale counter standard BUILT FOR RELIABILITY AND STRENGTH Charles McDowell properly. Both need to be “pro active,” according to Doores. In 1986, SE existed in 1 in every 100,000 eggs. Buy this year, there may be as many as 10 per 100,000 eggs. What is needed in the industry, she said, is an “all-encompassing program,” such as the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) program which over sees quality control Born pie- to post-harvest and beyond. HACCP can be implemented in these ways: • On-farm investigation which includes possible pathogen identi fication and traceback. • Rapid-method identification, such as using something equiva lent to an inexpensive and quick “litmus test” to check for patho gens in the production environment. • Slaughter and process checks PARMITER For the name of your nearest dealer, HAMILTON EQUIPMENT, INC. to prevent cross-contamination. • Irradiation, which will rid the problems at the source. • Food service and retail activi ties to help educate those who pre pare food. “We don't test our handlers,” she said. As part of a special Penn State graduate project, chief executive officers (CEOs) of several large poultry producing companies were asked what a HACCP program would do for diem. While it could Dr. Stephanie Doores be costly to implement, the bene fits will include improved sales, increased profits, extended pro duct shelf life, decreased process ing costs, and more consumer con fidence in the safety of the product, according to the report. The CEOs rated improved sales of the product as the number one benefit of the program. P. J. Parmiter & Sons Limited 567 S. READING RD-, P.O. BOX 478 EPHRATA, -PA r 17521 / TELlftNONlf' 147 l#7s3-791ly 1 ' Animal Welfare Washington Scene Poultry producers and other food industry representatives can find legislative representation -in Washington. But more and more, legislators are becoming less familiar with how animal research is conducted, why, and how far mers raise their animals, according to Dr. Richard Reynnclls, USDA, who spoke about animal welfare and the Washington scene on Wednesday morning at the show. Producers should be warned: animal rightists ate on the move, and their long-term goal (50 years in the making) will be to totally lib erate animals from human use, according to Reynnells. And they have learned to manipulate the legislative system to their own ends. Reynells said that the animal rightists have a cleaicut agenda, which includes using terrorism against animal operations and scare tactics toward producers to meet those goals. For producers, it is time to get involved. First, producers must band together in support of their indus try. Next, they must take a more serious look at all aspects of their operation and make the changes necessary to process animals as they see fit, he said. “Public perception is going to make us or it’s going to break us,” he said. “The bottom line is no/to provide ammunition for people who are trying to destroy your industry.” Producers should take care there are no dead birds falling off trucks onto the toad, and handle the problem of downed ani mals on the farm in a quick and efficient way. Producer* should contact sever al industry organizations that help the producer cope with the animal rights/welfare issue, such as the Animal Welfare Information Cen ter (301) 504-6212, Putting People Fuat (202) 364-7227, and the Ani mal Industry Foundation (703) 524-0810 and be placed on their mailing list for information. Producers must work together to fight for their industry over the long term. “Unfortunately, this animal rights thing is never going to be solved in my lifetime, or yours.” he said. Third party event In analyzing the pecularitiei of (Turn to Pago A 23) contact: <’*’ *. ' J
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