November 20, 2007

USDA may hold mandatory test-and-hold to reduce meat recalls

The US Department of Agriculture is mulling a mandatory test-and-hold procedure to help prevent meat recalls, according to USA Today.

Kenneth Petersen, assistant administrator for USDA, said the agency might require meat processors to hold product until the government's test results are returned.

Federal law currently allows companies to ship meat before test results come back. But if those results are positive, recalls ensue.

Amanda Eamich, spokeswoman for USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, said the agency don't require test and hold procedures but is recommending companies to do so. She adds that "if a company held products that were awaiting final test results, there wouldn't be product in commerce to recall."

Eamich noted, however, that some companies cannot afford to wait as some products have very short shelf life and may not hold on until the test comes.

Ten of this year's 53 recalls followed routine USDA testing, according to FSIS figures. Those recalls were relatively small and were not associated with illnesses.

The recalls resulting from USDA tests involve some 43,000 pounds of ground beef, chicken, turkey and ham products.

Although holding product may have prevented those recalls, many meat industry members say further steps are needed to combat food-borne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7.