Stoltzfus Named To National M<
(Continued from Page A 1)
refreshingly upbeat.
“I’ll be the first to admit that it
takes a lot of fun out of the busi
ness and it takes a lot of energy, but
we have a choice. We can com
plain, react, pretend that it doesn’t
exist, or become involved,” he
said.
By becoming involved, Stolt
zfus hopes to positively influence
government regulations. It’s the
committee’s job to satisfy the
expectations of consumers, proc
cessors, wholesalers, caterers,
home food service companies, and
suppliers.
“I’ll be the first to admit that it takes a lot
of fun out of the business and it takes a lot
of energy, but we have a choice. We can
complain, react, pretend that it doesn't
exist, or become involvedhe said.
Stoltzfus doesn’t believe that it
is the government’s intent to put
the little guy out of business or that
consumer groups arc not open to
the meat industry’s viewpoint.
"But they are tired of hearing
‘this is going to put me out of busi
ness.’ They need someone to arti
culate the problems.”
Stoltzfus has met the enemy, so
to speak, face to face and has not
found them irrational.
“There is a willingness for them
to hear—-to get past the rhetoric
and find out the real issues,” said
Stoltzfus, whose boyish appear
ance belies his 39 years. Sporting a
close-trimmed beard and wearing
j&ns and a cotton pullover shirt,
Stoltzfus appears relaxed and yet
animated with energy.
Skeptics question whether or
not the committee is' merely a
political ploy—an attempt to
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appease both consumer groups
who are rallying for zero tolerance
of bacteria in food and for industry
groups who resent government
control in their every undertaking.
Appointing a committee gives the
appearance that the government is
concerned and wants a task force
that looks at all angles of the prob
lem. The concept looks good but it
may be entirely ineffective, Stolt
zfus admitted. A previous commit
tee had been formulated but only
met about once a year.
“Maybe the bottom line is that
this is a political issue or perhaps it
is a gesture to put together a com
mittee in an attempt to get to the
heart of the issues. Whatever it is, I
want to believe the latter. I want to
give this a chance.” Stoltzfus said.
Stoltzfus has been involved in
public debate fra several years
through his involvement as a mem
ber of the Meat Inspection Govern
mental Affairs Committee of the
American Association of Meat
Processors (AAMP), based in Eli
zabethtown. Through that involve
ment, Stoltzfus has been to
Washington D.C. several times.
“I met some vocal groups
(attacking the meat industry).
Many are articulate spokespeople
for their cause.” Stoltzfus said.
He recalled an especially diffi
cult attempt to reach an under
standing between consumer
groups and the meat industry. At a
hearing of approximately 80 per
sons, Stoltzfus sat across from a
mother whose toddler had died as
at Inspection Committee
J. Myron Stoltzfus, owner and operator of Stoltzfus Meats Inc., has been appointed
by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman to serve on an advisory committee on
meat and poultry Inspection.
the result of Ecoli in an under
cooked burger.
“When you are sitting across
from a mother who has lost a son,
you can’t say, ‘this rarely happens’
or that only one death from it hap
pens in every so many million so it
isn’t cause for alarm. That mother
has lost a son. I feel for her.
“At the same time, I have to ask
the question: “Why did those
children die?”
According to Stoltzfus, it wasn’t
the meat industry’s fault It was the
restaurants’ failure to properly
cook the meat that resulted in the
deaths. If the meat had been fully
cooked, the bacteria causing the
Ecoli would have been destroyed.
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and the deaths would not have hap- sa y **• that’s reality,” Stoltztus
pened, not even illness. said regarding the uproar created
Stoltzfus secs a great need for when several children died from
sanitation and proper cooking eating undercooked hamburgers.
Stoltzfus has met the enemy , so to speak,
face to face and has not found them
irrational
methods to be followed through in
the food service end of the spec
trum. He isn’t pointing fingers. He
is, after all, part owner of Stoltzfus
Farm Restaurant, where family
styled meals are served in an
authentic Amish homestead.
“My number one concern is
food safety. But if government
regulations are aimed entirely at
the meat industry in order to pre
vent a child from getting Ecoli—
they are dead wrong. It will prob
ably happen again. I don’t like to
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‘The meat industry is willing to
do our part, but others need to be
aware of the problem and carry
equal responsibility,” Stoltzfus
said of food preparation, which he
considers the weak link in prevent
ing foodbome illnesses.
“Where does personal responsi
bility come into play?” he asked.
“That mother wants zero toler
ance, but I’m not sure that’s
achieveable, although we can
miminize the risks. We cannot live
(Turn to Page A 26)
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