Processors Put Consumers At Risk With Self Regulation

[Econ101]

Fears over Texas chicken



By MACIE JEPSON / WFAA-TV

July 7, 2006



DALLAS - Chicken lovers know poultry is a breeding ground for salmonella, the leading cause of food-borne illness in the U.S.



But do you know from which plant your chicken comes, or the plant's safety record?



U.S.D.A. test results from the last eight years are out and near the top of the list of offenders is Texas' Pilgrim's Pride.



Among the seven largest chicken producers in the United States, Pilgrim's Pride had the second highest failure rate on tests for salmonella bacteria.



The firm is topped only by Arkansas' Tyson Foods.



But Dallas County Medical Director Dr. John Carlo says consumers shouldn't be alarmed.



"It may be inherent to the processing... but the biggest message is properly cooked food will not get you sick," he said.



Still the just-released data is what led the USDA six months ago to beef up inspections and raise performance standards in broiler plants.



And it seems to be working.



Pilgrim's Pride didn't return phone calls, but USDA's spokesperson told News 8 the company and others have spent millions of dollars on training and new equipment. And it seems to be working.



In the first quarter of 2006 - failure rates decreased to 12 percent across the board - compared to 16.3 percent in 2005.



Consumer watchdog group Food and Water Watch broke down the results and for the first time, consumers can track which plant their chicken comes from and the safety record of that plant.



The plant's number is found on the USDA safety seal- its record is found on the watchdog's website.



But Dr. Carlo and the USDA warn the best information, even improved safety numbers, can lure trusting consumers into a false sense of security.



"Raw meat- poultry, beef and everything else should be assumed to be filled with contamination until is cooked properly," he said.



Chicken safety tips:



Buy a meat thermometer.



Make sure poultry is cooked to 165 degrees.



Don't use your meat utensils on any other food.



Clean and sanitize surfaces touched by poultry.



Wash your hands.





wfaa.com

 

[Econ101]

Top poultry processors faulted for high Salmonella rates



By Ahmed ElAmin
es direct evidence of the danger posed by the regulator's changes to the program that reduces the frequency of testing at some plants.



The advocacy group obtained the names of the plants through the US Freedom of Information Act. To date, USDA has never publicly released information on which plants failed to meet Salmonella standards. The regulator has said in the past that it would consider doing so as a way of pushing the industry to take better precautions against Salmonella.



The testing results are from the USDA's routine sampling program for Salmonella. The report lists 106 broiler chicken plants in 27 states and Puerto Rico that failed at least one



Salmonella test during the seven year period. They are grouped by company name so consumers can consult it as they shop, Food & Water Watch stated in a press release.



The USDA announced last week that it would delay testing at plants that met Salmonella standards in the past and focus on ones that continually had positive tests.



"Had this new policy been in effect from 1998 through 2005, up to 22 of the 106 plants would not have been tested and found to be in violation," Food & Water Watch stated.



The group is calling on the USDA to formally ask federal lawmakers to pass legislation making microbial testing performance standards enforceable. The legislation would also require the agency to publish the results of Salmonella testing for every plant on its Internet site.



Food & Water Watch also called on the USDA to abandon a proposal to reduce the frequency of testing at plants that had passed two previous testing periods.



In 1996, the federal government instituted major changes in the meat inspection system by using international standards of food safety, known as the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system.



Under HACCP, meat plants are responsible for determining where hazards are most likely to occur in their system and for controlling potential food safety problems. As part of the HACCP system, the government launched its Salmonella testing program.



Under the system government inspectors have been shifted to an auditing role, and have less authority to require corrective action when they see a problem, the advocacy group claimed.



During a testing period, the USDA is supposed to take samples during 51 consecutive days of broiler chicken production. If a plant has more than 12 samples test positive for Salmonella during that period, they fail to meet the standard.



Of the largest seven poultry processors in the US only Sanderson Farms had a contamination rate below the 24 per cent testing standard set by the USDA. None of the company's six broiler-producing plants failed any test periods during 1998 to 2005. The average contamination rate of the passing test periods was 6.3 per cent.



Meanwhile Tyson Foods, had 10 of its 36 broiler-producing plants, or 27.8 per cent, fail during at least one test period for Salmonella. A total of 5.1 per cent of the company's test periods resulted in failure. The average contamination rate of failing test periods was 33 per cent, according to the Food & Water Watch data for 1998 to 2005.



At Pilgrim's Pride, seven of the company's 22 plants, or 31.8 per cent, failed at least one test period. The average contamination rate of failing test periods was 35 per cent.



Goldkist had five of its 11 plants, or 45.5 per cent, fail at least one test period. The average contamination rate of failing test periods was 40.9 per cent.



Perdue Farms had five of its 10 plants failed at least one test period. The average contamination rate of failing test periods was 36 per cent.



Wayne Farms had five of its seven plants fail at least one test period. The average contamination rate of failing test periods was 32 per cent.



Two of Foster Farms four plants failed at least one test period. The average contamination rate of failing test periods was 32 per cent.



"It should not be left to non-profit groups to let consumers know which companies failed to meet government food safety standards," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. "If USDA is going to live up to its rhetoric, they need to routinely test all plants and disclose the results."



Data released by the USDA on Salmonella testing for the first quarter 2006 shows the pathogen's average rate in broiler chicken carcase samples fell to 12 per cent, compared to 14.5 per cent in the last quarter of 2005.



The USDA increased the number of samples it tested for both ground beef and chicken in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter. Sampling for all other categories decreased over the same period.



Rates for hog carcasses fell to 3.8 per cent from 4.6 per cent over the same periods. Salmonella in cow and bull carcasses fell to 0.3 per cent from 1.2 per cent. No Salmonella was detected in steer and heifer samples, compared to 0.2 per cent rate found in the fourth quarter 2004.



The rate of salmonella rose in ground beef to 1.3 per cent from 1.1 per cent. In ground chicken the rate fell to 50 per cent from 62.5 per cent.



Meanwhile salmonella rates in ground turkey fell to 21.9 per cent from 29.7 per cent. Earlier this year the FSIS released figures showing that



Samples in broilers, ground chicken and ground turkey testing positive for salmonella at US slaughter and processing plants have surged since 2002, according to statistics released earlier this year by the USDA.



Broilers had the highest rates of salmonella, with 16.3 per cent of samples testing positive in 2005, up from 11.5 per cent in 2002. The highest level was reached in 1998, when salmonella was found in 20 per cent of the broilers sampled.



The USDA plans to concentrate its testing at plants with higher levels of Salmonella. The unit will also make changes to the reporting and use of the FSIS' Salmonella verification test results.



The effort will be modelled on the successful FSIS program to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. The FSIS E. coli O157:H7 program led to a 40 per cent reduction in human illnesses associated with the pathogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).



Certain serotypes of Salmonella, which are known to cause human illness, are commonly found in raw meat and poultry. Other food sources, such as produce and eggs, are also known to cause salmonellosis.



The USDA said it will also begin quarterly posting on its Web site of the nationwide aggregate results of all sample results to give consumers more complete information about salmonella trends.



The bacteria Salmonella is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the US, according to figures from the USDA. About a million cases of salmonellosis are reported annually, with about 63 per cent of those attributed to meat and poultry consumption.



Of these cases, about 9,000 of the victims are hospitalized and about 250 die. The annual cost of illnesses and premature death from Salmonella is estimated to be around $1.5bn.





foodproductiondaily-usa.com

 

[Econ101]

:AMI's Propaganda

Press Release Source: American Meat Institute

100 Years Later, Most Consumers Don't Recognize Level of Meat Inspection That Occurs in the United States
Wednesday June 28, 11:30 am ET
AMI Says 'If Upton Sinclair Were Alive Today, He'd Be Amazed By the U.S. Meat Industry'

WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- One hundred years after a federal law put meat inspectors in every meat plant, most consumers don't understand the frequency or intensity of meat inspection in the United States, according to new consumer data released by the American Meat Institute. AMI unveiled the data as part of its recognition of the anniversary of the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

According to the data collected June 7 by Opinion Dynamics, many consumers thought the banking industry (35 percent) was more heavily regulated and inspected than the meat industry (21 percent). Yet meat inspectors by law must be present in federally inspected meat packing plants during every minute of operations, according to AMI. Sixty percent of consumers also underestimated the frequency of inspections, with most saying that inspectors visited plants "occasionally." Only 12 percent of respondents responded accurately that meat inspectors are in packing plants continuously.

As part of its celebration, AMI unveiled a new brochure that carries the message, "If Upton Sinclair were alive today, he'd be amazed by the U.S. meat industry." Upton Sinclair authored the groundbreaking novel The Jungle in 1906 that inspired passage of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the formation of AMI. The brochure was released today to media nationwide and can be downloaded on http://www.meatami.com.

According to the brochure:

* Food safety has improved dramatically. E. coli O157:H7 incidence on
ground beef has declined from nearly one percent to less than 0.2
percent since 1999 and Listeria monocytogenes has declined from 4.5
percent on ready-to-eat meat and poultry since 1990 to 0.55 in 2004.
Likewise, foodborne illnesses associated with these products are down
dramatically.

* The meat industry's worker safety profile has been transformed since
1990. Declines in worker illness and injury have been sustained for 15
years.

* Each year, Americans spend less of their disposable income on meat --
just 2 percent in 2004. The U.S. overall spends less of its disposable
income on food than any other nation in the world.

* The proportion of fat in the diet contributed by meat, poultry, and
fish fell from 33 percent in the 1950s to 24 percent in 2000.

"Our industry represents a great American success story," says AMI President J. Patrick Boyle. "Through both hard work and team work, we are proud to offer Americans the most abundant and affordable meat supply in the world." Boyle credits the Federal Meat Inspection Act with spurring a century of progress. "One hundred years ago, I'm quite confident that this new law was seen as overwhelming," Boyle said. "Today, USDA regulatory officials and the industry have developed a mutual respect and a joint commitment to safety and quality that have helped make our meat supply the envy of the world."

AMI Foundation President James H. Hodges, who joined the Industry in 1970 and joined the Institute in 1984 said that the food safety profile of U.S. meat products has literally been transformed in his lifetime. "Today, we produce fresh, uncooked products that have lower bacterial counts than many of the cooked products we produced in 1970. Never did I think we could accomplish what we have. And that's why I'm also confident that we can tackle future challenges that emerge."

As part of its celebration today, AMI served Washington-based media chef- prepared meats. And the Institute honored a very special guest: Dr. Dewey Bond, the oldest living AMI staff member who ran the AMI government affairs office in the 1950s when AMI was still based in Chicago.

To view an electronic version of the new brochure, go to http://www.MeatAMI.com. Click on Centennial Information in the Hot Topics box.

AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI's members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.


Source: American Meat Institute