MEAT INSPECTION
CHANGE
IS COMING
Wilfianr R. Henning
Associate Profeaaor
Animal Science
In February 1992, Russell Crois
took over as administrator of
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspec
tion Service (FSIS), which is
responsible for meat and poultry
inspection. The outlook was bright
for positive change as Cross, for
mer professor of meat science at
Texas A&M University, laid plans
to update meat and poultry inspec
tion, assess the microbial and
chemical condition of meat and
poultry at all stages of production,
and improve a system that was
already one of the best in the
world.
Optimism waned suddenly ear
lier this year with illness and
deaths of several people from
infection with E. coli 0157:H7
partly traced to ground beef under
cooked in a fast-food restaurant
Not only have many Americans
changed the way they view the
inspection and consumption of
meat, but consumer activists and
politicians have blasted the
system.
New regulations and rules
already have resulted from these
outbreaks, and talk abounds on the
need for even more radical
changes. The issue has put a great
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deal of pressure on the inspection
system as well as meat packers and
processors across the country.
Current regulations, established
under the 1968 Wholesome Meat
Act, are specific and strict. Meat
inspectors have the authority to
halt meat processing any time they
believe that facilities or equipment
ate unsanitary or a product is
unsafe. Mote than two-thirds of
USDA’s 7,500 inspectors work in
slaughter plants where they visual
ly inspect every animal Uve, and
again during slaughter. Any sign
of abnormality results in the car
cass being condemned (taken out
of the human food chain) or
retained until laboratory tests
prove it is safe.
USDA is trying to move away
from visual inspection alone, but
they need scientific data to indicate
potential problems. Science-based
support groups such as chemists
and microbiologists within FSIS
have increased in number, activity,
and sophistication of procedures.
Bacterial and residues data have
increased as mote FSIS laborato
ries have been equipped with state
of-the-art equipment.
Consumer Expectations
What do consumers really
want? Obviously, a safe food
supply thatdoesn’t threaten human
health. Some consumer groups,
however, are calling for meat and
poultry products that are pasteur
ized or even sterile. They seem to
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William R. Henning
want a “magic bullet” against bac
terial contamination.
The industry is appraising the
effectiveness of new technology.
Mild organic rinses, such as citric
acid (as in vinegar), have been
approved. But these are only partly
effective. Alkaline washes (such
as trisodium phosphate) are effec
tive against salmonella. They are
approved and widely used in poul
try plants.
Procedures such as these will
reduce the number of bacteria pre
sent, but the numbers of true
pathogens (such as E. coli
0157:H7) required to cause serious
illness in humans is so low that
rinses are not always effective
against them.
Sampling for bacteria at the
plant level is impractical; it takes
too long to test the meat before it is
shipped or mixed with trimmings
from other carcasses.
Further, while testing each piece
of meat is impractical, a sample
from one part of the carcass may
not indicate contamination else
where. Also, in many cases, the
product becomes contaminated by
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humans or equipment in later
stages of processing or
preparation.
Aside from proper cooking, the
only effective way to completely
assure freedom from contamina
tion is irradiation. Scientists and
health officials have declared irra
diation to be effective and safe, but
consumer activists continue to
raise questions.
New Programs
• The Nutrition Labeling and
Education Act (NLEA). Although
this program was farced on USDA
by PDA, companies are going full
speed ahead preparing nutrition
labels for the July 6, 1994
implementation date. Many arc
skeptical about whether consum
ers will read or understand this
information.
• The Safe-Handling Label. Just
as most processors thought they
were ahead of the labeling game,
another bomb was dropped in late
August requiring safe-handling
labels on all fresh meat and poul
try. Retailers were miffed at such
short notice and have postponed
the process though a legal chal
lenge. USDA will start die entire
procedure again and should be able
to respond to comments and imple
ment the program early in 1994.
• The Zero-Tolerance Program
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was implemented only after the
serious E. coli outbreaks and
before much of the beef microbial
survey research was completed.
FSIS really didn’t know what, if
any, problems existed. In many
ways, this program lends us a false
sense of security. Even if we
remove every speck of foreign
material from die carcass, we
haven’t necessarily removed all
the bacteria.
• HACCP (Hazard Analysis,'
Critical Control Point) highlights
process controls as means to
ensure a safe product It makes
sense scientifically, and many
plants already are implementing it
• Microbial standards. Many are
calling for microbial standards but
opinions vary widely. What causes
illness in one person may not in
another. Consumers in this country
will not allow the meat industry to
set a standard for the amount of
pathogenic bacteria present in a
food there is zero tolerance.
There are many technical prob
lems in implementing such a
program.
Change is inevitable. It is com
ing rapidly within FSIS and, for
the most part, looks promising for
the consumer. We have a good
inspection system, but it will be
better.
Agway Reports
Profitable Year
SYRACUSE, N.Y. Charles F. Saul.
Agway president and CEO, reported the
Syracuse-based farm supply cooperative
returned to profitability in the first hill year
of its tliree-year reengineering program
called Customer Driven; 1995.
Agway reported year-end profits of $19.75
million on sales and revenues of $1.7 billion
for the 1993 fiscal year that ended June 30.
This compares with a fiscal 1992 loss of
$58.8 million which includes a $75 million
restructuring charge against restated consoli
dated sales and revenues of $l.B billion.
“The ability of our employees to deliver
superior customer service while being very
competitive in the feed and crop needs
businesses is already producing positive
results”, said Saul. “Each of our five basic
businesses including agriculture, consumer
retailing energy, agricultural leasing, and
insurance had profitable operations during
the past year.”
Saul explained that two subsidiaries, publ
icly traded Curtice Bums Foods and wholly
owned H.P, Hood, were reported as discon
tinued operations pending their expected
sales during the 1993-1994 fiscal year.
Agway announced in March that it was
exploring the possibility of selling its approx
imately 34-percent stake in Curtice Bums
and had previously announced plans to sell
Hood. Consolidated sales reported in 1992 of
$3.2 billion included Curtice Bums and
Hood. Agway’s 1993 final net margin of
$19.75 million includes a net loss of less than
$6 million from the two food subsidiaries.
Saul also announced changes in this year’s
annual meeting dates. Traditionally, the
cooperative meeting was held at the end of
October in Syracuse, recently at the New
York State Fairgrounds. This year, three one
day meetings will be held starting December
1 at the Sheraton in Liverpool, N.Y, Other
meetings will be held December 6 at the
Springfield, Mass., and December 9 at the
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Her
shey, Pa.
Six incumbent directors, nominated earlier
in the year, are expected to be officially
elected to three-year terms at the Syracuse
meeting. They include Peter D. Hanks of
Salem, N.Y.; Robert L. Marshman, Oxford,
N.Y.; Samuel F. Minor, Washington Pa;
Donald E. Pease, Susquehanna, Pa; Carl D.
Smith, Corinna, Maine; and Joel L. Wenger,