Release No. 0361.96

Statement

                              by 
               Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman
   On Final Food Safety Rules for Meat and Poultry Inspection
                          July 6, 1996

     You have all taken time away from your holiday weekend to attend this
briefing. But because of the announcement the President just made in his
radio address, your Independence Day barbecues in future years will be a lot
safer.

     My most fundamental responsibility as Secretary of Agriculture is
ensuring that American families have the safest meat and poultry possible. 
Since joining the President's Cabinet, I have been personally involved in
and committed to putting the HACCP/Pathogen Reduction rulemaking into
effect.  

     The reason I have been so committed is simple.  We had to improve the
safety of American meat and poultry.  The current system had not been
fundamentally changed for 90 years, and it had a critical gap: It did not
focus on the most serious public health problem of pathogenic bacteria such
as E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella, which cause thousands of deaths and
millions of illnesses every year.   

     And the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)/Pathogen
Reduction final rule we are releasing today will do just that:  Improve the
safety of American meat and poultry by directly targeting the reduction of
the pathogens that cause foodborne illness.  It is the most significant
achievement I've seen since I came to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
and it will revolutionize the way we ensure the safety of American meat and
poultry.
     
     I wish I could take all the credit, but I have to share it with a
whole lot of people -- beginning with President Clinton. This rule is an
example of how this Administration responds to the basic needs of
individuals. And it is an example of how this Administration feels about
keeping American families safe.

     I have to thank all of the constituents, consumer groups, industry
representatives, agricultural producers, and scientists who participated in
our public meetings on the HACCP proposal. And I want to thank the families
who lost loved ones to foodborne illnesses who forcefully -- and rightfully
-- have demanded that USDA take action to improve the safety of our meat and
poultry. 

     We learned a great deal from meeting with all these groups and from
all of the comments we received during the rulemaking process. As a result,
the final rule is better than the proposed rule. It will improve food safety
-- our primary objective -- while costing less. 

     Our first obligation has always been to meet our public health and
safety responsibilities.  But we knew these policies had to be practical and
had to make good common sense.
     
     We have announced a new rule. And with it, we will start a new -- a
revolutionary -- way of doing business. HACCP represents sweeping reform and
a fundamental modernization of the food inspection system. 

     By incorporating science-based controls and microbiological testing
directly targeted at preventing and reducing contamination of meat and
poultry with harmful bacteria such as E. coli 0157:H7 and Salmonella, the
HACCP/Pathogen Reduction rule will save lives and reduce foodborne illness.

     In 1962, author Upton Sinclair said, "You don't have to be satisfied
with America as you find it. You can change it." Fifty-six years earlier, he
wrote "The Jungle," an expose of the nation's meat packing industry that led
to the last fundamental modernization of our meat safety system. It is long
past due the time to change America again.

     We are bringing modern technology and sound science into the nation's
food processing plants. The public has demanded nothing less, and we intend
to deliver. If meat and poultry is stamped "USDA Inspected," consumers
expect the product to be safe to eat. And it should be.

     When I was sworn in as Secretary of Agriculture -- after my mother
expressed her pride -- she gave one instruction: "Make sure the food is
safe." I haven't been able to rest easy until I could assure my mother that
I had done what she asked.

     Even when this new system is implemented, American consumers still
need to follow safe handling instructions and be careful how they handle raw
meat and poultry, and make sure that meat is well-cooked before they eat it. 
Our meat and poultry is safe now, but the HACCP/Pathogen Reduction rule will
make it even safer. 

                                #

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