SEMA_________________________________ SOUTHEASTERN MEAT ASSOCIATION AUGUST 2002, VOLUME 17, No. 9FSIS POLICIES CONCERNING PRODUCTS MADE FROM RECALLED TRIM July 23, 2002: Food Safety and Inspection Service Acting Administrator
William Hudnall and other FSIS officials met with industry representatives
to provide guidance on how the agency expects companies that received
recalled trimmings (as well as coarse ground beef) to proceed. 1. If the recalled trimmings (or coarse ground beef) were used in the production of ready-to-eat products manufactured under inspection, no product retrieval would be required. A company would be advised to document what days any recalled trim was used and review its HACCP records to verify the lethality CCP was met. 2. If the recalled trimmings (or coarse ground beef) were used in the production of products and all those products were publicly retrieved by a retailer, there is nothing else for the processing company to do. Once again, the company would be advised to document the days any recalled trim was used, what products were made, that all implicated product went to that retailer and the retailer’s public retrieval was broad enough to cover all such implicated product (an establishment in such cases should obtain a copy of the retailer’s press release). 3. If the company receiving trimmings has sound food safety control programs that include testing of incoming product and/or finished products, a company can make a “business decision” as to whether product retrieval is warranted. Unfortunately, the agency officials would not be more specific as to what would be required. It is clear that mere sampling will not be sufficient; likewise a food safety program that does not include sampling will be insufficient. Beyond that, how FSIS will view the particular establishment’s decision is speculative. Near the end of the meeting, FSIS officials did indicate that if the establishment and/or its customer can conclusively demonstrate that no product remains on the market (such as with a quick service restaurant which only uses fresh product and the shelf life has expired so no product is left in the restaurants or consumer’s refrigerators), FSIS would not expect a retrieval since the product no longer exists.
Provided to SEMA by: NMA; Rosemary Mucklow POULTRY DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services J.B. Penn
said that considerable progress has been made to resolve the long-running
poultry trade dispute. SAFEWAY HALTS CONAGRA BEEF PURCHASES Safeway, Inc., reportedly said it would stop buying from ConAgra, the Omaha, Nebraska-based processor. Safeway is one of the nation’s largest supermarket companies. A ConAgra spokesman said, “We’d like to remind people that we had a safety record up until this recall that probably was the envy of the industry. We began testing 100 percent of beef trimmings going into ground beef at the Greeley plant on June 29th (the day the Agriculture Department contacted ConAgra regarding the possible contamination). We began testing 100 percent of beef trimmings shipped to customers from Greeley as of June 11. We have now extended that testing—whether it’s ground beef or beef trimmings from all six of our processing plants, effective July 22.” For additional comments on the ConAgra Beef Recall by Agriculture Secretary,
Ann Veneman go to:
www.usda.gov/news/releases/2002/07/0299.htm DR. GARRY L. McKEE NAMED AS ADMINISTRATOR OF FSIS Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman announced July 23, 2002 the selection
of Dr. Garry L. McKee as administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS). BIOSECURITY GUIDELINES IN SPANISH Under Secretary for Food Safety, Dr. Elsa A. Murano has announced the availability of a Spanish-language publication outlining biosecurity guidelines for food processors. The publication is the Spanish version of the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Security Guidelines for Food Processors that was issued in May. Under Secretary Murano said. “Making the guideline available in
Spanish helps ensure that biosecurity information is extended to more
processing establishments inspected by FSIS.” NCBA DIRECTORS OK $65.8 MILLION BUDGET FOR FY 2003 Directors of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recently approved a budget of $65.8 million for fiscal year 2003. These funds will be used for work in consumer marketing, international marketing, research, and communications on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils. The programs are funded through the $1-per-head beef checkoff. CONVENIENCE STORES – FUTURE CUSTOMERS? Why don’t convenience stores step up to the plate and add more ready-to-eat meals and other value-added meat products or products containing meat? Take the dual trend of the fast-fading independent grocery store and rise of an on-the-go America. The number of convenience-store shoppers has declined over the last four years. However, their per-visit purchase is growing and outpacing the per-purchase growth of other retail formats. Comparing convenience to other channels, convenience stores sales per-trip, per shopper grew at 28 percent. Convenience stores can increase sales by adding breakfast and dinner meal solutions, as well as convenient forms of quick meal ingredients to their product assortment. Processors are making formerly inconvenient foods convenient with the introduction of new forms and packages. Consumers want to spend less time preparing meals. DEATH TAX REPEAL DIES The result is estate-planning limbo. If you’re contemplating a tax-friendly time to pass from this life, consider 2010. That is the year current law makes the estate tax go away. Linger into 2011, and the tax reappears. Then your bereaved family will face estate taxes of up to 55% with the first $1 million exempt. NEW MEMBER Mr. Sam Dewar, C.E.O. KNOW YOUR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS CHLORINATORS, INC. – Ron Grage Chlorinators, Inc. is the manufacturer of REGAL gas chlorinators, sulphonators, ammoniators, dual cylinder scales and SMARTVALVE (flow pacing valve for chlorine or sulphur dioxide) for the water and wastewater disinfection industry. Used in irrigation, agriculture, meat and poultry growing and processing, canning, bottling, fruit and vegetable processing, municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment plants world wide for over 25 years. LABEL EXPRESS OF GEORGIA, INC. – Kristen K. Lee Label Express of Georgia, Inc. is a quality manufacturer of pressure sensitive labels manned by an experienced staff of professionals. We are here to provide you with the highest quality labels with the best possible service. Label Express of Georgia is committed to giving superior quality and service. The work Express in the name of the company was chosen to identify the company with quick reliable service. The company is located in new larger facilities and offers services from concept artwork through finished pressure sensitive labels. Label Express of Georgia is committed to providing your business with solutions to your label needs while keeping your costs down. If you are interested in obtaining pricing for your company’s pressure sensitive needs, please contact us. Remember, all plates and artwork are free and it won’t cost you a thing to get a quote from us. UPCOMING EVENTS FLORIDA RESTAURANT SHOW MEMBER NEWS CONGRATULATIONS to two of our members that ranked in the top 200 of Meat Processings “Top Meat and Poultry Companies” D.L. Lee and Sons – Alma, Georgia Kelley Foods of Alabama – Elba, Alabama |