NATIONAL MEAT
ASSOCIATION h 1970
Broadway, Suite 825, Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 763-1533 Fax (510) 763-6186 h Email Address: [email protected] h http://www.nmaonline.org
Edited by Kiran Kernellu
September 8, 2003
WALK
AROUND MANAGEMENT
NMA’s Executive Director
Rosemary Mucklow and some others on the NMA staff had the privilege of visiting
several of NMA’s members in the last several weeks. We’re planning to do more of this! Some impressions!
Improved
business security has been an easier hurdle for the meat industry by contrast
with the open door policy of many American businesses. The meat industry has been trained to
establish better property and personnel management by adversaries that pre-date
9-11. Some of these controls include
round-the-clock access, egress security, pre-employment screening and reference
checks. It often includes signing in
and out, and signing a confidentiality agreement. Security was very tight, and
as visitors we had to take several steps before we were even allowed in the
plant. We also had to sign a confidentiality agreement. It was very clear that
we were visitors from our visitor nametags to the different color helmets we had
to wear. Further, we were never unescorted during the tour.
A fully
integrated industry. Whereas twenty
years ago, there were few to no female workers on kill and fabricating floors,
with today’s technological innovations, much of the “heavy lifting” work is
done automatically. This leaves the true skill of butchering in the hands of
men and women on the line, side-by-side, with the knife! The knives used by the employees are kept
extremely sharp. Rarely is strength needed to butcher the animal; therefore
both men and women are equal in that respect.
Bar coding
trace systems were in their infancy twenty years ago; today, they help keep
track of product flow and are really valuable when there is a need to trace
back. Systems are still being
perfected, but the industry has come a long way.
Production
floor employees are receiving more training before they ever go to work
handling the food that people will eat.
There are hugely better separations between the early stages of sanitary
dressing, and the sequential segments where the meat gets closer and closer to
the food that people will eat.
At least at
the operating level at the plants we visited, there was a more apparent
cooperative spirit between companies and the assigned government
employees. The notion of partnership in
making food safe was suggested by one of the USDA employees we spoke with.
We should
most certainly honor and respect the challenges overcome by earlier
generations, but today’s men and women in top and middle management positions
can take pride in their accomplishments to improve the quality and safety of
finished products. Hats off to the
principals in these businesses who have recognized that profitability and
success goes hand-in-hand with productivity and a good workplace
environment. The member plants we
visited had excellent workplace environments. Middle and upper management
closely guard the welfare of their employees. For example, the QA director
always made sure everyone had earplugs in because he did not want anyone to
become deaf in 10 years! That particular plant is a family-owned operation
that has increased in size over the years. Everyone knows each other and
they’re always happy to lend a hand to one another.
NMA staff
members are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to visit our member
companies. We extend our thanks to the companies that we visited, and to the
employees who took the time to educate us about their operations. We believe
these opportunities allow us to serve our members better.
Page 2
USDA AWARDS GRANTS
Agriculture
Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced last Wednesday that USDA is awarding 34
competitive grants totaling more than $6.4 million to strengthen efforts aimed
at serving minority and disadvantaged farmers. A socially disadvantaged farmer
or rancher is one of a group whose members have been subjected to racial or
ethnic prejudice without regard to their individual qualities.
Veneman said in a press release that USDA is working to improve
services to minority and socially disadvantaged farmers including creating
USDA’s Office of Minority and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Assistance (MSDA),
established almost a year ago to work with minority and socially disadvantaged
farmers who have concerns and questions about loan applications. “We are committed to helping the nation’s
minority and disadvantaged farmers,” said Veneman in a press release. “The
grants will help many farmers and ranchers to successfully acquire, own,
operate and retain farms and ranches by delivering a wide range of outreach and
assistance activities including farm management, financial management and
marketing.”
FSIS
PRE-HARVEST FOOD SAFETY ISSUES MEETING TOMORROW
FSIS will hold a public meeting on pre-harvest food safety issues and E. coli O157:H7 on September 9, 2003 at
the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, NW, Washington, D.C. from 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The meeting will consist of presentations on the research and
practical experiences aimed at reducing E.
coli O157:H7 at the livestock production level. NMA’s Executive Director,
Rosemary Mucklow, will attend the meeting.
Contact Dr. Nathan Bauer at (979) 260-9562 for more information. No pre-registration is required for this
meeting. The agenda is available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/news/2003/agenda_preharvest.htm.
CANADA CONDIDERS
JAPAN’S REQUEST TO TEST ALL CATTLE
Cattle Buyers Weekly reported today that Canada is considering a Japanese
request to test all cattle whose meat will be exported to Japan. Reportedly,
Japanese Agriculture Minister Yoshiyuki Kamei suggested this option last
Tuesday as a mean’s to lift Japan’s ban on Canadian beef exports.
ELECTRONIC
NEWSLETTER
Lean Trimmings and
Herd on the Hill are offered electronically. If you’d like to receive
the newsletter via e-mail, please contact Kiran Kernellu at [email protected] or 510-763-1533.
Receive the latest news every Monday afternoon in your inbox instead of waiting
for it in the mail!
LINKS
NMA reports news items that are of special interest to
its readers, and provides information that they may want to be able to
access. Below are links to the Federal
Register, AMS, APHIS, and FSIS, respectively:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html
NMA RESOURCE NOW AVAILABLE
NMA’s resource, “The Role of Microbiological Testing in Beef Safety Systems,” which was offered in the May 27, 2003 Lean Trimmings, has been revised and is now available for dissemination. NMA members who would like a copy of the resource should contact Julie Ramsey at 510-763-1533 or [email protected].
LOST IN WISCONSIN!
An attendee at NMA's Summer Conference lost a standard
8” x 10” college spiral-bound notebook, possibly with a red cover, with lots of
unintelligible notes and pieces of paper inside. Reward promised.
Please contact Kiran Kernellu at 510-763-1533 or [email protected] if found.
Page 3
LISTERIA WORKSHOPS
FSIS is holding five workshops to explain its new rule,
“Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry
Products,” to owners and operators of small and very small inspected
establishments. They will be held at the following locations:
September 13
|
Hilton North Raleigh
3415 Wake Forest Road Raleigh, NC
(919) 872-2323 |
Bridgeport Holiday Inn
1070 Main Street
Bridgeport, CT
(203) 334-1234 |
September 20
|
Hilton Kansas City Airport
8801 N.W. 112th
Street Kansas City, KS
(816) 801-4011 |
|
October 4
|
Oakland, CA
|
Albuquerque, NM
|
Meeting sites for the remaining cities will soon be
announced. Attendees should register in advance by contacting Sheila Johnson at
202-690-6498 or [email protected].
Because of limited space, preference will be given to representatives of
federal and state small and very small meat and poultry establishments.
OBESITY LAWSUIT AGAINST MC DONALD’S DISMISSED
Last Thursday
U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet dismissed the amended complaint against Mc
Donald’s Corp. from two New York teens claiming the fast-food chain is
accountable for their obesity-related health problems, and that it deceived
consumers about the health risks of its products. Judge Sweet stated in his
ruling that the plaintiffs didn’t allege how they’d been injured by McDonald’s
food. He wrote, “McDonald’s does not have sufficient information to determine
if its foods are the cause of plaintiffs’ obesity, or … only a contributing
factor.” He further wrote, “The plaintiffs have made no explicit allegations
that they witnessed any particular deceptive advertisements.”
Lisa Howard,
a McDonald’s spokeswoman, said, “We trusted that common sense would prevail in
this case, and it did,” according to a Chicago-Sun Times report last
Friday.
In January,
Sweet dismissed the original suit, which reportedly sought billions of dollars
in damages on behalf of children throughout New York State, and alleged that
McDonald’s contributed to childhood obesity.
In the original dismissal, Sweet said they might have a case if they
alleged that McDonald’s food products had been “so altered that their unhealthy
attributes are now outside the ken of the average reasonable consumer.” See the
February 24 and January 27, 2003 newsletters for more on this topic.
COOPERATIVES SPONSOR HERD
REDUCTION PROGRAM
Cooperatives Working
Together (CWT), a farmer-led and farmer-funded organization within the National
Milk Producers Federation, is currently sponsoring a program to provide an
incentive for dairy farmers to retire their herds by moving them to slaughter.
CWT will require that all cows in the selected herds be tagged with
sequentially numbered pink ear tags, and it requests that slaughter plants
receiving pink CWT tagged animals remove and collect the CWT designated ear
tags and forward them to CWT’s office at 2101 Wilson Blvd, Suite 400,
Arlington, VA 22201.
CWT’s program
will involve approximately 36,000 dairy cows. CWT tagged animals are expected
to come to slaughter during the period from September 20, 2003 through October
30, 2003. CWT will reimburse packers for the cost of shipping the ear tags. For
details regarding shipping and reimbursement, packers should contact Mr. Walt
Wosje, CWT’s Chief Operating Officer, at 703-294-4353.
UPCOMING
NMA SEMINARS
2003
September 18-20, 2003 -
Basic HACCP
-- San Francisco, CA
October 1-2, 2003 - Beyond
Basics
(HACCP) -- College Station, TX
October 23, 2003 – SSOP and
SPS (HACCP)
– San Francisco, CA***
November 5, 2003 – Listeria
Workshop – Ontario, CA ***
2004
April 3-5, 2004 - Basic
HACCP – Los
Angeles, CA
April 21-23, 2004 – HACCP in
Spanish –
Los Angeles, CA
September 18-20, 2004 -
Basic HACCP
– San Francisco, CA
Contact
NMA at (510) 763-1533 for more information and registration materials.
*** Location subject to change
Page 4
JAPAN'S
2001 BSE OUTBREAK LINKED TO CONTAMINATED FEED
Meatingplace.com
recently reported that Japan’s 2001
outbreak of BSE was probably caused by contamination during the feed production
process, according to a Japanese agriculture ministry draft report. The draft
reportedly said that prions, the abnormal proteins that are suspected of
transmitting BSE, were at some point mixed into meat-and-bone meal feed at five
processing centers around the country. The meal wasn’t used in the production
of cattle feed, but it was an ingredient in chicken and pig feed at those
plants, leading to the possibility that machinery had not been cleaned properly
between runs, according to the ministry’s report. Reportedly, the panel
investigating the outbreak wasn’t able to confirm where the tainted meal
originated. The final report is due next month.
INITIAL BEV PERMITS TO BE REISSUED
Cattle Buyers Weekly reported that the Beef Export Verification (BEV)
program permits issued late August will have to be reissued because of a change
in wording in the agreement between USDA and CFIA. Further, it hasn’t been
determined whether beef trimmed from the vertebral column already boned out of
the carcass is eligible to be exported as beef trimmings. If it isn’t eligible,
an advanced meat recovery system can be employed to trim the vertebral column,
as AMR meat isn’t eligible.
WORKERS’ COMP UPDATE
California legislators are prepared to propose an overhaul of California’s workers’ compensation system. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the legislators’ plan is to stabilize, or even roll back, insurance rates and to save billions of dollars by standardizing medical charges and limiting visits to health care facilities. Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee of Legislators, State Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-San Fernando Valley), said he hopes the reforms will cancel a 12% increase in premiums scheduled for 2004 and perhaps roll back an 8% increase implemented this year. California firms should continue to voice concerns for immediate reforms to elected officials.
NATIONAL MEAT ASSOCIATION
NMA - East: 1400 - 16th St. N.W., Suite 400, Washington D.C. 20036 Ph. (202)
667-2108
NMA - West: 1970 Broadway, Suite 825, Oakland, CA 94612 Ph. (510) 763-1533 Fax (510) 763-6186
Edited by Kiran Kernellu
September 8, 2003
FOODNET SURVEILLANCE REPORT FOR
2001
The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) released its
FoodNet Surveillance Report for 2001.This final report
is used to document the effectiveness of new food safety control measures in
decreasing the number of cases of fooodborne diseases that occur in the U.S.
each year. Following are key findings as disclosed in the Executive Summary:
· “There has been a sustained
decline in the incidence of Yersinia, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Salmonella
typhimurium over the past six years. These declines indicate important
progress toward achieving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Healthy People 2010 objectives of reducing the incidence of several foodborne
diseases by the end of the decade. However, additional measures will be needed
to further reduce the incidence of these diseases to achieve our national
health objectives by 2010.
· “The decline in the
incidence of infections cause by Yersinia, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Salmonella
typhimurium are unlikely to be due to surveillance artifacts. FoodNet
conducts several studies to monitor the surveillance factors that can influence
the incidence of these laboratory-diagnosed foodborne diseases. These factors
include the frequency with which persons with gastrointestinal symptoms seek
medical care, the frequency with which diagnostic stool specimens are submitted
to clinical laboratories, and the frequency with which the laboratories
routinely test stool specimens for various pathogens. We are unaware of any
changes in these factors that might explain the magnitude of the declines
observed in the reported foodborne infections.
· “Food animals are major
sources of Yersinia, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Salmonella
typhimurium. One contributing factor to the decline in foodborne infections
caused by these pathogens is likely to be change in the industry and regulatory
approach to meat and poultry safety. Beginning in 1997, the USDA-FSIS began
implementing the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
(PR/HACCP) systems regulations in the meat and poultry slaughter and processing
plants. Additional evidence of the contribution of the USDA regulations to the
decline in the incidence of Salmonella infections in humans described in
this report is the decline in prevalence of Salmonella isolated from
FSIS-regulated meat and poultry products.
· “Enhanced surveillance and
outbreak investigations have identified new control measures and focused
industry attention on foodborne illness, so that control measures are more
likely to be implemented. Recent interventions include egg safety programs for
the prevention of Salmonella enteritidis infections, increased attention
to fresh produce safety through better agricultural practices on farms and [in]
food processing, regulation of fruit and vegetable juice, industry efforts to
reduce food contamination, food safety education, and increased regulation of
imported food.
· “Although there have been
important declines in the incidence of infection for several foodborne
diseases, the incidence of foodborne diseases remains high. Efforts to reduce
the rate of foodborne diseases might include steps to reduce the prevalence of
these pathogens in their respective important animal reservoirs; e.g., cattle (Escherichia
coli O157), egg-laying chickens (Salmonella enteritidis), and
seafood, particularly oysters (Vibrio). Implementation of nationwide,
consistent, on-farm preventive controls would reduce the risk of human illness
from Salmonella enteritidis-contaminated eggs.
· “The lack of a sustained decline
in E. coli O157 infections indicates a need for increased efforts to
reduce the burdens of these infections. Preventing E. coli O157 will not
be a simple task because it is transmitted through food, water,
person-to-person contact, and direct animal exposure. FoodNet studies and
recent outbreaks have shown that an important route of transmission is direct
contact with cattle or their environment. Strategies that reduce E. coli O157
on farms could decrease direct contact infection and food contamination, as
well as entry into the water supply.
· “The high incidence of
foodborne diseases in infants and young children is a major concern. FoodNet
studies have shown that breast-feeding of infants is important in preventing
foodborne disease in infants. To determine other opportunities for prevention
of foodborne diseases among children, FoodNet began a case-control study in
2002 of sporadic cases of Salmonella and Campylobacter among
young children.
· “The increase in the
incidence of infections caused by Salmonella newport represents an
emerging challenge to public health. Many of these isolates are resistant to
nine or more antimicrobial agents, including all agents approved for oral use
in children. Further studies are necessary to understand and resolve these
problems. FoodNet recently began a case-control study of sporadic cases of Salmonella
newport to assess possible risk factors and opportunities for prevention.”
Page 2
CANADIAN BONELESS BEEF BOUND FOR U.S.
Recent press reports relayed that a 20,000-pound shipment of Canadian
veal was sent to the U.S. last Thursday, the first Canadian beef to cross the
border since the detection of BSE in a single Canadian cow late in May.
Cambridge, Ontario veal processor Delft Blue Co. reportedly sent a truckload of
veal from animals raised in eastern Canada across the U.S. border to a customer
in Philadelphia, PA. The beef successfully passed through U.S. Customs, but
officials at a USDA checkpoint were still processing the shipment Thursday
night. Cattle Buyers Weekly reported today that the company shipped
44,000 pounds of veal from U.S.-born and Canadian-raised calves to its plant in
Utica, NY for sale in the U.S. NMA has learned that more shipments were
received today, and it looks like the resumption of nearer to normal trade
levels will soon be achieved.
Officials
with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) were cited as saying last
Thursday that they had reached an agreement in principle with the USDA on a
cattle segregation system for Canada’s meat packing plants that should allow
boneless beef cuts to begin crossing the border in a few days. The Edmonton
Journal reported last Friday that the Canadians struck a deal with the U.S.
on the use of slaughterhouses that will allow shipments of Canadian beef south
of the border. The U.S. reportedly demanded that Canada use separate
slaughterhouses for older and younger cattle before the border would be
re-opened to Canadian beef. However, officials reportedly have now reached an
agreement in principle which allows Canada to slaughter animals under 30 months
of age in the same facilities as older animals.
A
USDA official confirmed the two countries reached an agreement Thursday morning
on a new segregation system, according to the Journal report. Ted Haney,
president of the Canada Beef Export Federation, said in the report that a
system of “sequencing, segregation and separate use of equipment” has addressed
the concerns about mixing older and younger animals. Haney also said there will
be two sets of equipment, one for older animals and another for younger ones.
In the early part of the day, young animals will be processed, and animals over
30 months of age will be handled later in the day. “The same line itself is
used,” Haney said in the report. But “at the end of the day, a complete
sanitation of the entire line would be completed, ensuring that at the start of
the next day, there’s no residue.” Cattle Buyers Weekly reported today
that CFIA and Canadian packers are awaiting a written agreement on the
segregation plan.
GOOD MANUFACTURING
GUIDELINES
NMA has
available a new resource document, “Good Manufacturing Guidelines for the
Removal of Spinal Cord During Slaughter Operations and Sampling and Testing of
Advanced Meat Recovery Product for Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Analysis.”
The resource will soon be posted on NMA’s website. NMA members may contact
Kiran Kernellu at 510-763-1533 or [email protected]
for a copy of the GMPs.
It is
recommended that this document be used in conjunction with the Guidelines
for Developing Best Practices for Beef Slaughter announced in last week’s Lean
Trimmings. (See item below.)
GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING BEST PRACTICES FOR BEEF
SLAUGHTER
NMA announced
last week in Herd on the Hill that it has developed, in conjunction with
SMA, AMI and NCBA, as well leading representatives of beef slaughtering
companies, Guidelines for Developing Best Practices for Beef Slaughter.
NMA members contact Kiran Kernellu at 510-763-1533 or [email protected], or Ken
Mastracchio at [email protected], for
a copy of the Best Practices. The Best Practices will soon be posted to NMA’s
website.
NMA MEMBER
OPINIONS ON COOL NEEDED!
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is going to be a hotly debated issue in the upcoming agriculture appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2004. It is important that our members make their opinions about COOL known to their representatives in Congress. We are challenging our many members to draft letters to their Senators to show their dissatisfaction with the current COOL law and their desire to have this unworkable law repealed. While the association can provide a constant voice to the powers that be in Washington D.C., it is the individual’s voice that can make a deeper impact on a specific Senator from a specific state. The voice of a constituent is also the voice of a voter. Shawna Thomas, NMA Government Relations Liaison, will help any of our members draft letters and make sure they get to the proper people and offices. Please contact her as soon as possible at [email protected] or (202) 518-6383.