USDA Considers New Safety Measures for Meat Plants
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Agriculture Department, trying to repair its image after the second-largest recall in history, is considering new regulations that would require meat companies to implement more food safety safeguards, Reuters reports.
In the past two weeks, USDA has distributed a questionnaire to the meat industry and consumer groups asking if federal E. coli testing was effective and whether plants should implement more safeguards.
"We want to come up with a strategy that will certify a higher degree of safety," said Steve Cohen, spokesman for USDA's Foods Safety and Inspection Service. "Testing alone is not sufficient, no matter how much you do, to guarantee you will not have E. coli," he said.
Consumer advocates, which met privately with top USDA officials on Wednesday, said the department was mulling over regulations requiring that meat companies implement new technology to kill harmful bacteria in food.
Carol Tucker Foreman, food policy director for the Consumer Federation of America, said one option USDA was looking into was mandatory irradiation of meat for certain plants.
Gary Weber, director of regulatory affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said the group was planning to issue a set of food safety recommendations to USDA by September.
Public health groups have criticized USDA on its handling of the ConAgra recall, saying lax oversight of meat plants and inconsistent enforcement allowed the contamination to occur.
The Bush administration has strongly defended its food safety system as the best in the world, but admits there may be room for improvement.
"I do think there is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking now on what happened with (ConAgra's recall)," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman told reporters. "We're going to try to go through this entire thing and see where we need to make changes in the system," she said.
ConAgra on July 19 recalled 18.6 million pounds of ground beef products from its Greeley, Colo., plant after USDA inspectors found samples that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.
In the past two weeks, USDA has distributed a questionnaire to the meat industry and consumer groups asking if federal E. coli testing was effective and whether plants should implement more safeguards.
"We want to come up with a strategy that will certify a higher degree of safety," said Steve Cohen, spokesman for USDA's Foods Safety and Inspection Service. "Testing alone is not sufficient, no matter how much you do, to guarantee you will not have E. coli," he said.
Consumer advocates, which met privately with top USDA officials on Wednesday, said the department was mulling over regulations requiring that meat companies implement new technology to kill harmful bacteria in food.
Carol Tucker Foreman, food policy director for the Consumer Federation of America, said one option USDA was looking into was mandatory irradiation of meat for certain plants.
Gary Weber, director of regulatory affairs for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said the group was planning to issue a set of food safety recommendations to USDA by September.
Public health groups have criticized USDA on its handling of the ConAgra recall, saying lax oversight of meat plants and inconsistent enforcement allowed the contamination to occur.
The Bush administration has strongly defended its food safety system as the best in the world, but admits there may be room for improvement.
"I do think there is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking now on what happened with (ConAgra's recall)," Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman told reporters. "We're going to try to go through this entire thing and see where we need to make changes in the system," she said.
ConAgra on July 19 recalled 18.6 million pounds of ground beef products from its Greeley, Colo., plant after USDA inspectors found samples that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7.
