[Agriculture Fact Book 98]
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) ensures that the Nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged as required by the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act.
FSIS sets standards for food safety and inspects meat, poultry, and egg products produced domestically and imported. FSIS inspects and regulates all raw beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and turkey sold in interstate and foreign commerce. In FY 1997, FSIS inspected more than 8 billion poultry and more than 130 million head of livestock. In FY 1997, USDA inspected 2.116 million pounds of liquid egg products, which were sold in liquid form, frozen, or as dried egg products. Continuous inspection of 76 U.S. plants was provided by 104 inspectors.
The task of inspecting meat and poultry is important because consumers spend $120 billion, or one-third of their annual food dollars, on meat and poultry products. Inspectors check animals before and after slaughter, preventing diseased animals from entering the food supply and examining carcasses for visible defects that can affect safety and quality.
Inspectors also test for the presence of drug and chemical residues that violate Federal law. Over the last 20 years, the violation rate for drug and chemical residues detected in FSIS testing programs has dropped dramatically, moving close to zero. In 1996, only about 3 of every 1,000 samples routinely tested for residues exceed the legal limit.
The activities of FSIS include:
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In addition, about 250,000 different processed meat and poultry products fall under FSIS inspection. These include hams, sausage, soups, stews, pizzas, frozen dinners, and any product containing 2 percent or more cooked poultry or at least 3 percent raw meat. In addition to inspecting these products during processing, FSIS evaluates and sets standards for food ingredients, additives, and compounds used to prepare and package meat and poultry products.
As part of their inspection duties, FSIS inspectors collect product samples to test for the presence of pathogens and toxins such as Salmonella and Staphylococcal enterotoxin in ready-to-eat and other processed products. Microbiological standards for raw products did not exist prior to the Pathogen Reduction HACCP Rule of 1996 (with the exception of the current “zero tolerance” for E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef). In 1996, FSIS began a comprehensive Salmonella testing program in slaughter plants and plants that produce raw products.
Imported meat and poultry are also subject to FSIS scrutiny. The agency reviews and monitors the foreign inspection systems in the products’ countries of origin to ensure they are equivalent to the U.S. system. When the products reach the United States, selected products are reinspected at approximately 90 official import facilities by import inspection personnel.
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The Nutrition Facts panel was developed through a joint effort by FSIS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The two agencies issued parallel regulations intended to create the most uniform nutrition labels possible for virtually all foods. The labels help consumers follow the Dietary Guidelines developed by the USDA and DHHS. The guidelines emphasize the importance of a well-balanced diet. Most packaged foods carry an up-to-date, easy-to-use nutrition panel. FSIS requires safe handling instructions on packages of all raw or partially cooked meat and poultry products as part of a comprehensive effort to protect consumers from foodborne illness. Some food products may contain bacteria that could cause illness if the product is mishandled or cooked improperly. To prevent bacterial growth and to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, the label directs consumers to follow safe food handling practices from the time perishable products are purchased until they have been cooked and stored.
The FSIS strategic goal is to enhance the public health by minimizing foodborne illness from meat, poultry, and egg products. The food safety goal is a 25-percent reduction in the number of foodborne illnesses associated with meat, poultry, and egg products by the year 2000. Currently, the numbers of foodborne illnesses and deaths are estimated to be up to 5 million and 4,500, respectively. The agency has designed five objectives to meet this goal:
On July 25, 1996, FSIS issued its landmark rule, Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems. The rule addresses the serious problem of foodborne illness in the United States associated with meat and poultry products by focusing more attention on the prevention and reduction of microbial pathogens on raw products that can cause illness. It also clarifies the respective roles of Government and industry in food safety. Industry is accountable for producing safe food. Government is responsible for setting appropriate food safety standards, maintaining vigorous inspection oversight to ensure those standards are met, and maintaining a strong enforcement program to deal with plants that do not meet regulatory standards.
The new, science-based system is designed to improve food safety and make better use of agency resources. The system has four major components. First, FSIS is requiring the plants it regulates to implement HACCP Systems as a tool for preventing and controlling contamination so products meet regulatory standards. Second, FSIS established food safety performance standards that plants must meet and is conducting testing and other activities to ensure those standards are met. Third, FSIS is training its inspectors to provide the oversight that is necessary to ensure that industry is meeting regulatory standards. Fourth, FSIS reorganized to strengthen its enforcement to deal with plants that do not meet regulatory standards.
The HACCP regulatory system applies to the approximately 6,500 federally inspected and 2,550 State-inspected slaughter and processing plants in the United States. In addition, the rule applies to countries that export meat and poultry products to the United States. Egg products are not covered by the final rule, but the agency has developed a strategy, including HACCP, to improve the safety of eggs and egg products.
The largest plants, those with 500 or more employees, were required to have HACCP systems in place on January 26, 1998. Large plants account for approximately 75 percent of slaughter production and 45 percent of processed products production. Small plants, defined as having 10 or more employees, but fewer than 500, are required to implement HACCP by January 25, 1999. Very small plants, with fewer than 10 employees or annual sales of less than $2.5 million, must implement HACCP by January 25, 2000. FSIS is encouraging plants to implement HACCP even before the regulatory deadlines.
In January 1997, President Clinton announced a five-point plan to strengthen and improve food safety for the American people. Working with consumers, producers, industry, States, universities, and the public, the Administration has developed measures to reduce foodborne illness from microbial contaminants. Food safety is a major public health challenge: millions of foodborne illnesses and thousands of food-related deaths occur annually. The Food Safety Initiative includes provisions to:
In addition to the new regulatory approach in plants regulated by FSIS, the agency is working with other government agencies, industry, and academia to develop and take steps to improve food safety from farm to table. FSIS has historically focused on the manufacturing of meat and poultry products through its inspection program within plants, but the agency is also considering hazards before animals reach the plant and after products leave the plant, as part of its comprehensive public health strategy to prevent foodborne illness. The farm-to-table approach to risk assessment, as implemented by FSIS, provides a means by which various intervention and control strategies can be identified and evaluated throughout the food chain. These changes from farm to table will reduce the incidence of foodborne illness attributed to meat and poultry products. FSIS is developing similar changes for egg products.
FSIS is reforming its existing regulations to be consistent with HACCP principles, to shift to a greater reliance on performance standards, and to remove unnecessary regulatory obstacles to innovation. For example, FSIS has eliminated the prior approval requirement for facility blueprints and equipment. In addition, the agency is merging the meat and poultry sanitation regulations and simplifying them to be more compatible with the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure (SSOP) requirements of the Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems final rule. FSIS is also setting performance standards to replace the current "command-and-control" requirements.
For more information: http:// www.fsis.usda.gov/, under the section "HACCP Implementation"
FSIS, FDA, and CDC are collaborating with State health departments and local investigators at seven locations across the country to identify more accurately the incidence of foodborne illness in the United States. Through the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), the agencies involved are able to better track the incidence of foodborne illness and monitor the effectiveness of food safety programs in reducing foodborne illness.
The program, originally known as the Sentinel Site Survey, began with a 3-month trial in 1995, and has been actively collecting data since January 1996. Coordinated by CDC, data are collected at sites in Georgia, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, New York, and Maryland. The population currently under surveillance totals 14.7 million.
Data are collected through population-based surveys, laboratory surveys, physician surveys, and case-control studies. The FoodNet program specifically targets seven bacterial pathogens--Campylobacter, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia. In addition, the case-control studies seek to develop a better understanding of two of those pathogens, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.
FSIS, FDA, CDC, and the project sites will use FoodNet information to monitor the incidence of foodborne diseases in the United States. Outbreaks identified during this surveillance project will be investigated and appropriate control measures taken. An important benefit of the data collection is the identification of outbreaks which might previously have gone undetected or treated as isolated cases. Also, this system will help identify new and emerging foodborne pathogens. FSIS will use the pathogen data to evaluate the effectiveness of new food safety programs and regulations in reducing foodborne pathogens on meat and poultry.
For more information about the Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ophs/fsisrep1.htm
Addressing a problem that affects 33 million Americans each year, the Administration announced this year a new national computer network to identify and combat foodborne illness. PulseNet is a national computer network of public health laboratories that will help rapidly identify and stop episodes of foodborne illness. The new system enables epidemiologists to move up to five times faster than previously feasible in identifying serious and widespread food contamination problems.
PulseNet is a national network of public health laboratories that perform DNA "fingerprinting" on bacteria that may be foodborne. The network permits rapid comparison of these "fingerprint" patterns through an electronic database at the CDC.
For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/pulsenet/pulsenet.htm
The FSIS Animal Production Food Safety Program (APFSP) has the responsibility for concentrating on the link between animal production and slaughter and processing operations. As the slaughter/processing segment of the food production industry strives to meet specified targets for food safety, they may, in turn, need assurances on production practices used for animals presented for slaughter. The APFSP staff works with producers, researchers, and other stakeholders to identify scientifically based practices to reduce potential chemical, physical, and microbial public health risks. The APFSP staff provides leadership for USDA on public health concerns associated with animal production, transportation, marketing, and pre-processing preparation of livestock, eggs, and poultry. This program is responsible for outreach and liaison to create and sustain risk reduction strategies in the raising of live animals intended for human consumption.
FSIS conducts an extensive outreach program of consumer education to meet information needs for basic safe food handling advice to avoid foodborne illnesses. Information is disbursed to the media, information multipliers, and consumers through the FSIS web site, printed materials, videos, personal contact via USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, and presentations by FSIS representatives. The agency’s consumer education programs focus on providing key food safety materials to the general public and special groups who face increased risks from foodborne illness—the very young, the elderly, people who have chronic diseases, and people with compromised immune systems. These materials are based on the latest scientific advice in education and market research concerning foodborne illness. Educational materials include a wide variety of specific safe food handling advice on E. coli O157:H7 and other pathogens, food safety information for seniors and children, and The Food Safety Educator--a free quarterly newsletter available in print or on the FSIS web site. This office also produces news features, public service announcements, and joint food safety projects with other government agencies and food associations comprise. See “ For More Information.”
The Partnership for Food Safety Education is a broad-based coalition committed to educating the public about safe food handling and preparation. The U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world. Yet, despite continued progress in improving the overall quality and safety of foods produced in this country, foodborne illness remains a serious public health problem. And the related costs in health care and human suffering are much too high. Combining the resources of the Federal Government, industry, and consumer and public health organizations, the partnership is conducting a multi-year food safety education campaign to bring Americans face-to-face with the problem of foodborne illness and to motivate them to take action.
With the ultimate goal of encouraging behavioral change, the Partnership for Food Safety Education is conducting a broad-based public education campaign to make the importance of safe food handling meaningful to American consumers. Unveiled at a major Washington, DC, ceremony in October 1997, the campaign is a multi-year initiative to personalize the invisible enemy of foodborne bacteria. Two Cabinet Secretaries--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala--joined with the other members of the Partnership for Food Safety Education to unveil the new character “BAC™.” A green, slimy animated creation, BAC™ is the cornerstone of one of the most far-reaching and ambitious public education campaigns ever focused on safe food handling.
Just as the public links "Smokey Bear" with preventing forest fires, the goal of the Fight BAC!™ campaign is to use the new character BAC™ to educate consumers on the problem of foodborne illness and motivate them to take basic sanitation and food handling steps that will greatly reduce their risk of foodborne illness. By putting a face on foodborne illness, the campaign will be successful in engaging the public--which is the first step in stimulating action.
Underlying the campaign are four key principles for preparing food safely and keeping it safe. They are: 1) wash hands and surfaces often, 2) prevent cross-contamination, 3) cook foods to proper temperatures, and 4) refrigerate promptly. Although simple steps, these four principles address the critical points in everyday food handling where improper practices can lead to foodborne illness.
More than 50 national, State, and local organizations from the public health, government, consumer, and industry sectors have agreed to support the Fight BAC!™ campaign and disseminate educational materials. These “BAC Fighters” will maximize the campaign’s national outreach and provide important links into thousands of communities nationwide.
The Partnership also developed Community and Supermarket Action Kits in an effort to educate the public about safe food handling. These kits contain key messages and materials that will extend the Fight BAC!™ campaign to the State and community levels.
For more information: http://www.fightbac.org
Since July 1, 1985, consumers have called on USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline for answers to their food safety questions. The toll-free telephone service is staffed by home economists, registered dietitians, and food technologists with expertise in food safety. They frequently advise and consult with other professionals in government, academia, and industry. In addition, the Hotline responds to hundreds of media calls each year and is directly responsible for bringing food safety information to millions of consumers through these media outlets.
Questions to the Hotline have changed over the years. Early on, calls were more general in nature and almost always related to food handling. Today, many questions concern food science, processing, and inspection. Callers are more familiar with specific foodborne bacteria and technology. A total of 185,015 calls were received by the Meat and Poultry Hotline between January 1 and December 31, 1997, bringing total Hotline calls to over 1 million since 1985.
In order for USDA to investigate a problem with meat, poultry, or egg products, you must have:
Information you should be ready to tell the Hotline food safety specialist includes:
If an injury or illness allegedly resulted from use of the product, you will also need to tell about the type, symptoms, time of occurrence, and name of attending health professional (if applicable).
What To Do If You Have a Problem With Food Products
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USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline may be reached by calling: 1-800-535-4555 (voice) 202-720-3333 (Washington, DC area), or 1-800-256-7072 (TTY) Callers may speak with a food safety specialist from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays, Eastern Time. Recorded messages are available at all times. FSIS Web site: http://www.fsis.usda.gov FSIS Fast FAX: 800-238-8281, or in the Washington, DC area: 202-690-3754. Director, Food Safety Education & Communications Susan Conley Rm 1175-S Washington, DC 20250 202-720-7943 FAX 202-720-1843 susan.conley@usda.gov Deputy Director, Food Safety Education & Communications Sandy Facinoli Rm 1175-S Washington, DC 20250 202-720-7943 FAX 202-720-1843 sandy.facinoli@usda.gov Media Communication Jacque Knight, Chief Rm 1159-S Washington, DC 20250 202-720-9113 FAX 202-690-0460 jacque.knight@usda.gov Public Outreach Sandy Facinoli, Acting Chief Rm 1180-S Washington, DC 20250 202-720-9352 FAX 202-720-9063 sandy.facinoli@usda.gov Meat & Poultry Hotline Bessie Berry, Chief Rm 2925-S Washington, DC 20250 202-720-5604 FAX 202-690-2859 bessie.berry@usda.gov Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer Cheryl Hicks Rm 3134-S Washington, DC 20250 202-720-2109 FAX 202-690-3023 Electronic FOIA center: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/foia/index.htm |
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