Meat&Poultry -- September 2014 - 18

Washington
BY BERNARD SHIRE

meatpoultry@sosland.com

From QA to
food safety
C

onsumer groups are squawking

instead of checking for pathogens.

At the same time, USDA has

over the new poultry inspection

Poultry-processing companies

released a "compliance guideline" for

rule. But the US Dept. of Agricul-

are not required to adopt the new

training poultry plant establishment

ture (USDA) and the poultry indus-

system - it is voluntary. But all poultry

carcass sorters in the new system.

try - thanks to testing the plan in pilot

plants are required to get involved in

The purpose of the guideline is to

plants during the past 15 years - have

additional microbiological testing.

help poultry slaughter plants train

developed a new poultry-inspection

Plants that start using the new system

their workers to carry out carcass

system that will shift the emphasis

will have inspectors become involved

and viscera sorting activities that

from quality assurance of chicken,

in more important food safety tasks by

are now required under NPIS. Plant

turkey and other birds to a food-safety

carrying out additional sampling and

employees are taking over some of

focused inspection approach.

testing in order to look for Salmonella

these responsibilities from USDA

and Campylobacter pathogens and

inspectors who will be testing and

bacteria, at least twice per shift.

sampling for pathogens instead.

Ironically, consumer activist groups
seem more interested in whether there
are bruises on the birds instead of

In some poultry-slaughter plants,

making sure the inspected poultry

Gaining speed

workers have already been involved in

is free of dangerous microscopic

At the same time, USDA decided not

sorting. Included in the compliance

pathogens. The Hazard Analysis and

to allow plants to speed up production

guideline are training elements and

Critical Control Point (HACCP)-

lines. The draft plan would have

post-mortem inspection standards that

based Inspection Models Project

allowed 175 birds a minute to move

FSIS has found effective in training

(HIMP), the pilot program, was tested

on the lines. Due to pressure from

online inspectors. Final decisions

in chicken and turkey slaughter plants.

food safety groups, line speeds remain

about whether a carcass or the part

Today, HIMP pilot-testing programs

capped at 140 birds a minute. That

of a chicken or turkey is wholesome or

are ongoing in 20 chicken plants, five

requires an inspector for every 35 birds

fit for human food would be made by

turkey plants and even five pork plants.

that cross through the slaughter line

the USDA carcass inspector stationed
at the end of the line.

The idea behind the new final rule,

from worker safety groups concerned

The flap over the plan and what's in

System ( N PIS), is to update an

that increased line speeds would result

it stems from accusations that USDA

American poultry inspection system

in more danger to workers. But some

is moving away from the inspection of

that dates back to the 1950s. Under

industry groups like the National

every carcass. But USDA says that is

the 60-year-old inspection system,

Chicken Council feel the line speed

not happening - every carcass is still

both USDA inspectors and plant

should be increased to 175 a minute.

inspected under the new plan. ■

workers were spending a lot of their

Another major change, designed to

time checking birds for bruises, visible

increase safety for workers in poultry

defects and other marks on birds,

18

each minute. The decision drew praise

known as the New Poultry Inspection

plants, requires plants keep safety logs.

* Meat&Poultry * September 2014 * www.MeatPoultry.com

Bernard Shire is a contributing editor based in
Lancaster, Pa. He also works as a food safety
consultant with Shire and Associates.
http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat&Poultry -- September 2014

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