Food Safety: - National Meat Association

and usefulness of data. it established a
working group of food safety experts to
develop an annual report and a strategic plan
to fix deficiencies in the surveillance systems
setting up a grant program for state and local
agencies to expand food safety capacity. it
also provides for easier and more rapid tests
for identifying pathogens, better informationsharing
across agencies, and better efforts
to recruit and retain a multidisciplinary
workforce.
12 www.nmaonline.org
Senator Durbin’s bill, “The FDA Food
Safety Modernization Act”, requires domestic
food facilities to write hACCP plans, the
FDA to set commodity-specific standards
for fresh produce, high-risk imports to
be certified as meeting u.S. standards,
and the FDA to set up an accreditation
system for third party inspectors of food
facilities. it also requires more frequent
inspections, with specific time lines for
high-risk facilities. All samples tested
coverstory
for compliance purposes would need to
be conducted either by an FDA lab or
a lab accredited by an FDA recognized
accrediting body. Along with mandatory
recall authority, the FDA could suspend
a food facility’s registration if there is a
reasonable probability a food would cause
serious adverse health consequences or
death. Again, neither bill was passed, but
they show the evolution and direction of
congress on these issues. With Obama now
president, he may influence their further
development.
With a new president, administration
and congress in 2009, food safety will be a
top priority, along with bolstering the power
of the regulatory agencies. This is especially
the case with the implementation of the
new Food Protection Plan, which outlines
strategies for prevention, intervention and
response, covers the full lifecycle of food
by encouraging the building of safety into
every step of the food supply chain, and is
designed to address food safety and food
defense for both domestic and imported
products. Potential laws and plans like
the one noted above were introduced into
legislation as a result of the recalls in 2008
and will shape the way we deal with food
safety in 2009 and beyond.
As a result our food supply will continue
to be safer as time goes on due to hard work
and stricter guidelines. ❙
NMA filed in December a complaint
in the U. S. District Court for the
Eastern Division of California against
Section 599f of Title 14 of the
California Penal Code. At issue is
hog fatigue. The law does not take
into account that hogs are likely
to suffer such fatigue, and they
customarily will recover mobility after
they rest, feed and drink water in
the holding facilities at the inspected
establishment.