November 8, 2007

 

USDA backs off push to overhaul meat inspections

 

 

The US Department of Agriculture was too hasty in its push to overhaul its inspection programme for meat producers, Under Secretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond acknowledged Wednesday, especially in light of a recent rise in beef recalls and discoveries of E. coli bacteria contamination.

 

The USDA, despite some sharp criticism, has been preparing for months to shift to what it calls a risk-based inspection program that would increase inspection for some meat processing plants while downgrading the importance of others.

 

But Raymond, in testimony before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, said that "based on the challenges posed to food safety by E. coli 0157:H7 and what we have learned from recent recalls, I believe that we need to take additional time to strengthen our system and our data collection capabilities before moving forward with (risk-based inspection) in processing."

 

There have been nine beef-product recalls linked to human illnesses so far this year, according to USDA data. There were none last year.

 

Critics such as Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and non-profit consumer group Food & Water Watch have recently accused USDA of moving too quickly before it has the data needed to properly decide which plants need increased scrutiny.

 

Raymond, on Wednesday, appeared to have at least partially agreed.

 

The USDA's risk-based inspection plan is still a good idea, he said, but the critics "who were opposed to rolling out (the new system) were more right than I thought they were."

 

USDA's inspector general is now conducting an investigation into the department's capability to switch to a risk-based inspection system and a report is expected by the end of the year, Raymond said. "We will use that report to further focus our efforts."

 

But in the meantime, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has been increasing inspections at processing and slaughter facilities while trying to implement meat recalls more quickly.

 

It's not just the recent rise in recalls that has USDA and others concerned, but also the increased detections of E. coli bacteria from routine inspections. Raymond said those inspections last year showed a 0.17 percent rate of contamination. That rate has jumped this year to 0.22 percent he said.

 

A recent 21.7-million-pound ground beef recall at a processing plant that was later revealed to be lax in its safety precautions - a revelation Raymond called "a wake-up call" - caused USDA to question whether there might be serious safety violations at other large-scale producers. That's why USDA officials are now conducting a nationwide survey.

 

It's also why USDA is now considering new policy to require meat producers to be re-evaluated for safety if ownership changes, Raymond said. The now-defunct New Jersey-based Topps Meat Company - which recalled 21.7 million pounds of frozen ground beef patties in September after about 30 illnesses were linked to E. coli contamination - had recently changed ownership and that could have been a factor in the deterioration of safety protocols.