Release No. 0262.95

                                    Tom Amontree   (202) 720-4623
                                    Jim Petterson  (202) 720-4623
                                    Jacque Knight  (202) 720-9113

USDA ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF TRIAL TESTS FOR STEAM PROCESS TO REMOVE
CONTAMINATION FROM MEAT CARCASSES

     WASHINGTON, March 24, 1995--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food
Safety and Inspection Service today announced approval of commercial test
trials of a steam vacuum system to remove contamination from meat carcasses in
slaughter plants.

     "This new process has the potential to improve food safety by
effectively removing incidental visible contamination and producing product
with reduced bacterial counts," said Michael R. Taylor, acting USDA
undersecretary for Food Safety.

     The patented steam vacuum process involves a hot water spray in a vacuum
nozzle, with steam sprayed above and below the vacuum head.  Gauges monitor
water temperature and vacuum pressure.  The hot water must be maintained at
180 degrees F.  Hot water sprayed on to a carcass kills some bacteria and
loosens contamination such as ingesta or feces, which then is vacuumed off.

     Taylor said the Food Safety and Inspection Service has approved a set of
procedures for trial use of the steam vacuum in beef slaughter plants owned by
IBP Inc. of Dakota City, Neb., and is in the final stages of examining a
proposal for tests in plants owned by Excel Corp. headquartered in Wichita,
Kan.   Monfort Inc., of Greeley, Colo., also is seeking USDA approval to test
the patented process.

     FSIS based its initial approval of the protocol for the trial tests on
data submitted by IBP and collected in tests conducted by USDA's Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb.

     "I am proud of the work that the food safety scientists at the Meat
Animal Research Center contributed in the development of this new technology,"
said Acting USDA Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics Floyd
Horn.  "ARS looks forward to continued collaboration with FSIS and industry to
develop new and better technologies to enhance food safety."

     "The data we have reviewed support the hypothesis that under certain
conditions visible contaminants and associated bacteria can be removed at
least as effectively by steam vacuuming as knife trimming.  This promising new
technology now needs to be tested thoroughly under actual commercial
conditions," Taylor said.

     The steam vacuum processing must occur in the pre-evisceration phase of
meat animal slaughter, and can be used only if the plant is operating under a
documented quality control program designed to minimize the occurrence of
contamination, according to FSIS guidelines for the test trials.

     Taylor noted that the steam vacuuming must be followed up with knife
trimming if visible contamination were to remain following the procedure.  

     Under the USDA-approved testing procedure, bacterial samples will be
collected at the sites of both vacuuming and trimming procedures to compare
differences in the effectiveness of the procedures.
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