NASD A Calls For Meat Inspection Reform Legislation RENO, Nev. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) recently stated that the 104th Congress should consider and pass legisla tion reforming the meat and poul try inspection system. The commissioners, secretaries and directors of the state depart ments of agriculture released draft legislation last August which they suggested should be used as the foundation for reform of the na tion’s inspection laws. According to a NASDA spokesman speaking recently in Reno, Nevada to the annual meet ing of the Western Region of the National Association of State Meat and Food Inspection Direc tors (NASMFID), the organiza tion is members believe it is essen tial that Congress reform the in spection system this year and not allow election year politics to stall meaningful food safety reform. "In our opinion the current in spection system must be reformed both by legislation and through the regulatory process.” said NASDA Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Mark C. Nestlen. “Rather than building a new ivory HACCP tower on top of the weak foundation of the current system, we need to construct a new product from the foundation up.” Nestlcn explained that NASDA had carefully reviewed the current system, analyzed options for re form, and met with members of Congress, the administration, health groups, and industry to formulate the “risk-based, sci ence-based proposal which will bring much needed reform to the meat and poultry inspection sys tem.” He said that state officials are at the “front lines” of the food safety system. “Preserving the safety and integrity of the nation’s food sup ply and assuring the health and safety of the public is our highest calling.” Nesden said, adding that even though “the American food 4 4 4 4*4 IJUi *4* -*«*--* •*-« *^m*rnm»mmmmmm-w»m~~~~ supply is the safest in the world, there are always ways to improve, and the opportunity exists today.” While die current meat and poultry inspection system has served well in the past. Nestlen said it is in need of an oveihaul. "The new system our legisla tion proposes will replace the out dated ineffective parts of the cur rent law while preserving the ef fective parts. It does not simply layer a concept on top of the cur rent system, but provides a com prehensive revision of the inspec tion system,” Nesden said. The legislation proposed by NASDA will create a new inspec tion system authorized by a single law calling for mandatory science based inspection at all levels of production of all species whose flesh is used for food, including meat, poultry, exotic and aquadc animals. “Retail and restaurant opera tions have evolved and today are conducting complex processing with significandy less oversight when compared to similar risks.” Nesden said. “Some of those pro cesses include grinding, curing, smoking, vacuum packaging, and distribution of meat,' poultyr and seafood products which have the potential to pose significant risks to the consumer.” Nesden said the NASDA ap proach provides for a government wide evaluation of food safety. “When properly coordinated, such an evaluation will eliminate costly duplication and will result in a bet ter food regulation system, and provide for the allocation of scarce fiscal resources in a manner that ensures the safety of the American food supply,” he said. A NASDA policy statement in sists that in order to meet today’s demand for a meat and poultry supply that is safe from all ha zards, including pathogens that cannot be detected by traditional means, it is evident that current meat and poultry inspection laws must be changed. “Meat and poultry inspection technology it is impossible to reform should include the best guarantee a meat supply that is available tcchnoloty while retain- free of microbes; therefore, the ing those parts of current meat and consumer, an important link in poultry inspection laws which preventing food borne illnesses re have assured the United States lated to meat products, must be public a safe supply of meat and provided with continuous educa poultry in the past,” Nestlen said, tional information regarding safe This includes careful organo- food handling.” Nestlen stated, leptic examination of animals and Nestlen suggested that the risks carcasses by trained professionals of foodborne disease will be re to detect disease, tumors and other "duced by incorporating HACCP neoplasms, inflammation, bruises, principles into all phases of food fractures, parasites, and injection production, sites. Animals affected by any dis- “HACCP plans developed by eases transmissible to man such as producers, slaughterers, proces tuberculosis, and animals with sors, retailers, and restaurants will toxemia or septicemia can best be assess the risks at all levels of pro detected through sensory evalua- duction and introduce steps at tion during ante- and post-mortem each of these levels to reduce the examination.” possibility of foodborne disease. Nestlen explained that meal. Our legislation clearly changes the poultry and seafood, and meat, inspection system to a risk-based poultry and seafood products can system by requiring wholesale and be produced safely through co- retail operations that provess operative efforts of the industry meat, poultry and seafood prod and the government utilizing sci- ucts be subject to inspection,” he entifle inspection systems such as said, adding that “by eliminating the Hazard Analysis and Critical the exemptions found in the cur- Control Points (HACCP) system rent law and thereby adding retail rather than continuous inspection, and food service establishments to “Any change in meat and poul- the requirements, we ate mandat try inspection should consider all ing a total food system inspection businesses in the meat manufac- process which will enhance food turirig arena. Risk assessments in safety.” all areas from farm-to-table The NASDA representative should be accomplished and in- also explained that the bill will re spection resources allotted respec- quire the secretary of agriculture live to the amount of risk to the to work with the livestock and consumer based on the type of poultry producer community to process and product rather than develop on-farm quality assurance the type of distribution system,” programs. Nestlen continued. “These programs should be de “The public should be confident veloped for each industry and in their belief that all flesh foods each segment of production offered for sale or prepared for through a coordinated, coopera consumption have been prepared live effort of producers, producer under an effective inspection sys- organizations, veterinary practi tem.” tioners, state agencies concerned The NASDA proposal also pro- with animal and human health, vides for a public education pro- universities, and appropriate gram on the proper handling of federal agencies,” he said, meat, poultry and seafood by con- “Preharvest quality assurance sumers and food handlers. programs should identify diseases, “It is equally important that the conditions, chemical agents, and public know that with current microorganisms of concern to lanc««ter Fanning, Saturday, May 4, IN6-A23 food safety." He said the bill also directs USDA to identify research needs so necessary epidemiologi cal and ecological data can be gen erated that will identify risk fac tors, diagnostic procedures, criti cal control points, and interven tion strategies. "Finally, our bill will continue the strong relationship between the federal inspection program and state inspection programs. The measure places the same re quirements on small, state in spected plants and removes the unfair economic prohibition against shipping state-inspected product in interstate commerce.” Nestlen concluded, noting that “Farm Bill Two” recently intro duced by House Agriculture Com mittee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) would eliminate the unfair prohibition. The bill proposed by NASDA would: • Create a new comprehensive inspection authorized by a single law. • Mandate a science-based, risk-based inspection system at all levels of production from slaugh ter through retail. • Include all species whose flesh is used for food, includiong meat, poultry, exotic animals and seafood. • Provide for voluntary quality assurance programs to reduce the occurence of pathogens at the farm or ranch level. • Mandate a national public education program on the appro priate handling and preparation of meat, poultry and seafood by con sumers and foods service hand lers. • Authorize USDA to conduct research regarding improved sani tation methods and other tech niques which lead to safer food supply. • Continue the cooperative rela tionship between the federal in spection program and equivalent state programs.
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