Food Protection Trends - August 2010 - 500

WhAT’S hAPPENING IN FOOD SAFETY
In addition to foods regulated by FSIS and FDA, the Products Recall app also includes recall information for drugs, cribs, strollers, child safety seats, tires and other consumer products. by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The new requirements will be applicable to AMS ground beef contracts awarded on or after July 1, 2010. The AMS released a draft of the plan in May with a request for comments. Based upon comments and data submitted by the Department of Agriculture’s FSIS and ARS and members of the general public, revisions were made to the final specification that will be used for purchases beginning in July 2010. In addition to continuing a zero tolerance for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, the new AMS standards: (1) tighten microbiological testing protocols; (2) tighten the microbiological upper specification and critical limits; (3) increase microbiological sampling frequency for finished products to every 15 minutes; and, (4) institute additional rejection criteria for source trimmings used to manufacture AMS purchased ground beef. AMS will also consider any vendor classified by FSIS as having a long-term poor safety record as an ineligible vendor until a complete cause-and-effect analysis is completed. The new purchasing requirements can be found in their entirety at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/ AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELP RDC5085021.

USDA Finalizes Ground Beef Standards for School Lunch and Nutrition Programs griculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA has finalized tougher new standards for ground beef purchased by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) for federal food and nutrition assistance programs including the National School Lunch Program. “It is one of my highest priorities to ensure that food provided to the National School Lunch Program and other nutrition programs is as safe and nutritious as possible. The new standards guarantee our purchases are in line with major private-sector buyers of ground beef. We will continue to apply the best scientific knowledge to increase the safety across the board of our nutritional programs,” Sec.Vilsack said. Secretary Vilsack announced a series of initiatives in February to improve the safety of food purchased for nutrition assistance programs. The final standards are the result of a detailed, ongoing review

Robert E. Brackett Named Director of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology obert E. Brackett, Ph.D. has been named by President John Anderson as the new director and vice president of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology at Illinois Institute of Technology. Brackett will be responsible for managing the center and will report directly to IIT’s Provost, Dr. Alan W. Cramb. Dr. Brackett most recently served as senior vice president and chief science and regulatory officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a position he has held since 2007. Dr. Brackett has nearly 30 years of experience in scientific research in industry, government and academia. Prior to his position at GMA, he worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition where he started as a senior microbiologist in the Office of Plant and Dairy Foods and Beverages in 2000. Earlier in his career, Dr. Brackett held professorial positions with North Carolina State University in Raleigh, and the University of Georgia in both its Department of Food Science and Technology and the Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement.

500 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | AUGUST 2010

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5085021 http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5085021 http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5085021

Food Protection Trends - August 2010

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