Meat&Poultry -- April 2014 - IPPE-11

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Food safety focus

PUBLIC HEALTH & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE ARE HOT TOPICS

s part of the 2014 International Production & Process-

try food safety management, said the farther upstream

ing Expo an overview of food safety regulations and

food safety interventions occur, the better. "It is much

compliance were presented from the perspectives of aca-

better to prevent than deal with problems," she said. It

demics, a major retailer and government officials. The program was
sponsored by US Poultry & Egg
Association.
During a session titled, "The
Overview of the State of Poultry In-

is prevention that is at the heart of

"We inspect what you expect.
We do quality checks to have
a uniformity ratio."

Costco's poultry food safety man-

-Christine Summers, Costco Wholesale

steps, including microbial testing

spection Today and Changes Needed to Impact Public Health," Dr. Richard Raymond, former undersecretary for food safety with the US Dept. of
Agriculture, pointed out a significant challenge facing the

agement plan. Beyond complying
with USDA-required food safety
requirements, Costco takes extra
of raw supplies - such as ground

poultry - and ingredients for all of its meats.
"We inspect what you expect. We do quality checks to
have a uniformity ratio," she said.

poultry industry: Pathogen reduction in carcasses and in
ground poultry meat. Raymond made these observations

Panel-speak

during the New Approaches to Ground Poultry Pathogen

After Summers' and Raymond's presentations, a panel

Reduction program.

discussion was held on the "Alternatives to Make a Posi-

Raymond said the good news is the trend indicating a

tive Impact on Public Health," including Dr. David Gold-

reduction in whole bird carcass contamination. The bad

man, chief medical officer for USDA-FSIS-OPHS and

news, however, is that mechanically separated meat contin-

Dr. Robert Tauxe, from the Centers for Disease Control

ues to have a high degree of contamination. The solution,

and Prevention (CDC). Goldman explained FSIS efforts

he said is going to involve requiring standards of perfor-

to reduce pathogens in comminuted and other poultry

mance for processors of mechanically separated chicken

products through the Healthy People 2020 program. The

and turkey. Additionally, standards related to the poultry

program's objectives are to have a 25 percent national re-

slaughter system need to be updated as opportunities to

duction in Salmonellosis, as well as a 33 percent reduction

improve on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point

in Campylobacter, by 2020.

programs always exist.

Tauxe said approximately 120 foodborne outbreaks
reported each year are attributed to Salmonella. CDC

Retail view

endeavors to work with state health officials and federal

Christine Summers, director of global food safety and

agencies to identify clusters of cases and sources of infor-

quality for Costco Wholesale, in her presentation on poul-

mation about all outbreaks. +

www.MeatPoultry.com * April 2014 * IPPE Recap

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Meat&Poultry -- April 2014

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