Food Safety: - National Meat Association

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30 www.nmaonline.org news&views Meet NMA’s Newest Asset An Interview With Norm Robertson Q Can you tell us a bit about your career in FSIS? answer - Sure. i began my career as a Slaughter Food inspector in Vernon, California. i got promoted to an off line processing position in 1993 and then to a Consumer Safety inspector position in the Long Beach Circuit in 1994. in 2001, i was selected as one of two individuals to be promoted to be a Consumer Safety Officer (CSO) in the Alameda District. After working for almost two years as a CSO i was selected to be a Frontline Supervisor (FLS) and finally as the District Case Specialist. But i’m excited to be here now. And i hope by joining NMA, i will be able to have a more active role within the meat industry than i would have been able to with the agency. Q What direction do you see FSIS policy going currently? answer - While the regulations developed in the past decade have been explicitly performance standard based, the direction over time appears to be reverting more toward a command and control role, much as it was in the past. Multiple issuances from FSiS called “compliance guidelines” and “guidance documents” are becoming de-facto policy without the benefit of the rulemaking process. Q NMA welcomed Norm Robertson as its new Director, Regulatory Issues in October of 2008. Prior to joining NMA, Robertson was the District Case Specialist for the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) in the Alameda District Office. What major hurdle do small and very small plants have in this current climate to satisfy FSIS expectations? answer - Agency policy, both regulatory and that policy which is provided as guidance, is clearly pushing in the direction of doing more microbiological testing at all steps of the processes. At the same time, the Agency is requiring all testing data be available and subject to the interpretation of in-plant and other inspection personnel who may not understand what the results represent, regardless of the purpose of the testing. This creates a double-edged sword for small and very small plants trying to do the right thing. They may be creating unnecessary—and unjust, in some cases— trouble for themselves. QWhat is an example of one important business practice a small or very small establishment should put in place given the current regulatory climate. answer - Much of what is being expected by FSiS currently is not based in the regulatory requirements, but is rather based on some type of de facto policy. it is important that industry take a united stand when actions initiated by FSiS are not based in regulatory policy. You’ve got to appeal decisions when appropriate through the appeal process. Any decision made by FSiS can be appealed. Appeals should be viewed as a positive process by both parties, because this is most often how policy becomes clarified to the point of being understandable. QWhat is the one piece of advice you would give to small and very small establishments to help them navigate the sometimes dangerous waters of being a Federal Meat and Poultry producer? answer - The best advice i could give would be to get assistance when needed. Small and very small plants often struggle to find and retain staff with the necessary expertise in science-based food safety systems, microbiology and regulatory management. The best first step in overcoming this hurdle is to join forces with other small and very small establishments and become a member of an industry trade organization that can provide assistance whenever needed. Of course, my first choice would be National Meat Association. ❙
news&views Meet Our Leaders in Washington April 21-23, 2009 YOu’RE iNViTED TO JOiN a distinguished group of meat industry leaders in Washington, DC this April. We’re planning a full schedule! We’ll visit with the united States Department of Agriculture (uSDA), with staffers from the house and Senate, and with many other worthy speakers. As always, we’ll also host a reception on Capitol hill, arrange for meetings with individual congressional representatives and hold a fundraiser event. Remember, visibility in national politics is everything—don’t miss this chance to make an impression on the new administration. Send your RSVP to jeremy@nmaonline.org ❙ National Meat Association 31
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Food Safety: - National Meat Association

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