SEMA_________________________________ SOUTHEASTERN MEAT ASSOCIATION
|
FEBRUARY 2009 |
VOLUME 24, No. 2 |
Tom Vilsack was sworn in as the 30th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on January 21, 2009. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Vilsack received unanimous support for his confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Secretary Vilsack has served in the public sector at nearly every level of government, beginning as mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa in 1987, and then as state senator in 1992. In 1998, he was the first Democrat elected Governor of Iowa in more than 30 years, an office he held for two terms. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said "USDA plays an integral role in supporting our agricultural economy and working on behalf of America's farmers and ranchers. I am confident that Tom Vilsack's background and experience will help him continue the progress we have made here.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has named John Norris as his chief of staff and Carole Jett as deputy chief of staff.
E. coli O157:H7 is a hazard that establishments that receive, grind, or otherwise process raw beef products need to address in their hazard analysis. FSIS is issuing a Notice because the rate at which it is finding E. coli O157:H7 in product, and the recent recalls because of the pathogen’s presence, evidence that the measures employed by a number of establishments to address E. coli O157:H7 are inadequate. FSIS intends it to apply only to non-intact products. For more information; http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/05-09.pdf.
The Shores Resort & Spa
Daytona Beach, FL
June 11-13, 2009
“Opening New Doors”
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
The following steps need to be taken when you want to import meat, poultry, or processed egg products to the United States.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will launch its food defense awareness training kit for First-Line Employees in the food and agriculture industry from farm to table. The FIRST training kit is the second in a line of Food Defense Awareness Materials. ALERT, a program that was issued in July 2006, also focuses on prevention and identifies key points that supervisors and managers in industry and businesses can use to raise awareness of food defense issues and decrease the risks of intention food contamination.
Employees FIRST is a food defense awareness initiative for employees that food industry management can include in their ongoing food defense training programs. FIRST will educate front-line industry workers from farm to table about the risk of intentional food contamination and the actions they can take to identify and reduce risks including:
F – FOLLOW company food defense plan and procedures
I – INSPECT your work area and surrounding areas
R – RECOGNIZE anything out of the ordinary
S – SECURE all ingredients, supplies and finished product
T – TELL management if you notice anything unusual or suspicious
Single copies of the kit are available in English and Spanish. The kit includes: 1 DVD; 4-color front and back poster in English and Spanish; and on-screen instructions for use. A web-ready version is available. Copies of the kit may be obtained by ordering online from the Food Defense & Terrorism website (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/fooddefense) or email Marion.Allen@fda.hhs.gov or contact Marion V. Allen, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food Defense Oversight Team (HFS-007), Food and Drug Administration, Phone: (301) 436-1584.
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has reissued the instructions in FSIS Notice 12-08, Sampling of Low Production Volume Raw Ground Beef Establishments for Salmonella and Escherichia Coli O157:H7. The purpose is to provide direction to inspection program personnel on how to submit samples for Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 testing for establishments producing low volumes of raw ground beef when the inspector receives FSIS Form 10,210-3 with MT43S as the project code (Block 14).
The Agency randomly samples and tests for Salmonella at each establishment that produces less than 1000 pounds of raw ground beef products in a typical day’s production. FSIS tests the ground beef samples collected for both Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. The Agency will not schedule the establishments sampled under this program in the regular Salmonella verification testing program (9 CFR 310.25(b)).
Sampling
When inspection program personnel receive FSIS Form 10,210-3 with MT43S
as the project code (Block 14), they are to hold the form until they
also receive FSIS Form 10,210-3 with MT43 as the project code. When
inspection program personnel have both forms, they are to:
1. Collect only one sample following the directions in FSIS Directive 10,010.1, Microbiological Testing Program and Other Verification Activities for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Raw Ground Beef Products and Raw Ground Beef Components and Beef Patty Components. The laboratory will use this one sample to complete tests for both E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, including stereotyping;
2. Complete Form 10,210-3 with the MT43S project code. Inspection program personnel are to send the sample to the laboratory and include in the sample box the two 10,210-3 forms, one with the MT43S project code and the other with the MT43 project code. Inspection program personnel are to answer the additional questions in block 28 of the MT43S form.
3. Obtain test results through the LEARN (Laboratory Electronic Application for Results Notification) system and report them to the establishment at the next weekly meeting. The sample Salmonella results will not have any immediate regulatory consequences. Therefore, the inspector, after receiving E. coli O157:H7 results, is to advise an establishment voluntarily holding product that it does not need to continue to hold product that has tested negative for E. coli O157:H7. If the inspector receives Salmonella results before the E. coli O157:H7 results, he/she should wait to notify the establishment until after receiving the E. coli O157:H7 results.
Analysis of the Data
The Office of Food Defense and Emergency Response and the Office
of Public Health Science will analyze Salmonella sample results
for raw
ground
beef in low volume establishments. These staffs will review
data on the sereotyping and subtyping results for all positive samples.
These
staffs
will also analyze the information obtained from block 28 of
the
sampling form. If you have questions go to the Policy Development
Division
through askFSIS at http://askfsis.custhelp.com or telephone
at
1-800-233-3935.
In IR-2008-131, the IRS
announced the standard mileage rates beginning January 1,
2009. These are:
•
55¢ per mile for business miles
•
24¢ per mile for medical and moving miles
•
14¢ per mile for charitable miles
SEMA will be one of six other leading meat industry associations sponsoring the E. coli O157:H7 mini-conference, Thursday, March 26, at The Drake Hotel in Chicago, IL. This is the day before the NAMP Management Conference, at The Drake Hotel March 27th and 28th. The half-day session will be Thursday from 12:00 pm - 5:45 pm. This high-intensity workshop is designed to help beef processors prepare for the critical challenges they face in 2009.
The mini-conference features two of the top authorities on FSIS regulations and E. coli O157:H7 detection and control: Dr. Kerri Harris, President of the International HACCP Alliance; and Dr. James Marsden, Regent’s Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University.
Dr. Harris will share her extensive knowledge of the training and tools FSIS officials use to conduct Food Safety Assessments. Many of these FSA’s result in regulatory actions such as Notice of Intended Enforcement. She’ll teach how to prepare for an audit as well as what to do if things go wrong.
Dr. Marsden will help processors of non-intact beef find the best ways to ensure the safety of their products. A leading researcher on intervention technologies, he will talk through the best options for your product line.
In addition, participants will hear directly from intervention technology suppliers and network with companies that provide food safety support to meat processors.
The seven supporting associations include NAMP, the National Meat Association (NMA), the American Associa¬tion of Meat Processors (AAMP), the American Meat Science Association (AMSA), the Southwest Meat Asso¬ciation (SMA), the Southeastern Meat Association (SEMA), and the Chicago Midwest Meat Association (CMMA). Members of these associations qualify for discounted rates.
Deeply discounted registration fees for the combined events are available. For more information contact the NAMP office 703.758.1900.
Question:
Answer:
Small and very small plant owners and operators are invited to join FSIS inspection personnel at regulatory education sessions. The workshops will include a walk-through of a variety of topics, which may include HACCP, Sanitation Performance Standards, Sanitation SOPs, Rules of Practice, Food Defense strategies, E. coli 0157:H7 workshops. To register call 800.336.3747 or for online registration forms and information about upcoming sessions go to: www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events.
*Developing Food Defense Plans
Atlanta, GA February 7, 2009
7:00 am - 12:00 pm Hotel: To be determined
*Controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter in Poultry Plants
Atlanta, GA January 30, 2009
1:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. Doubletree Hotel Atlanta Northwest Marietta
Jackson, MS February 18, 2009
7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites
The SEMA Board of Directors and the Universities are working together to bring helpful data and criteria for plants to use as supporting documentation. A conference call with University representatives and Anna Ondick from the SEMA office was held in January to put the program together and discuss research projects. The end of last year we asked the SEMA membership to list their 5 top processing challenges. They were as follows:
Issues that would require research projects were:
Currently, Dr. Brian Kiepper at UGA, is coordinating a regional workshop that includes Clemson, Florida and others. He is organizing a workshop on water reutilization and water treatment. UGA is working on an employee training workshop and working on a Food Emergency Plan for the state of Georgia. They are putting together a matrix plan for how the agencies will react in case of an emergency, either intentional or unintentional. They are starting with the poultry industry, which will be similar to what will be needed for the meat industry.
Each year comes with new and challenging obstacles. Next year will be no exception with the tough economic times and financial issues our industry is encountering. It is only with dedication and working together that we overcome those obstacles. SEMA membership renewal invoices have been mailed, your continued support and participation is appreciated.
SEMA welcomes new members and is offering new processor companies a $100.00 voucher to use towards the annual convention being held June 12th & 13th at the Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, Florida.
SEMA members that sponsor a new processing or associate member in January or February will receive $100.00.
Processing Members Dues (company must have USDA EST #)
1- 25 Employees----------------$200.00 per year
26- 50------------------------------$250.00 per year
51-150-----------------------------$350.00 per year
151-over----------------------------$450.00 per year
Associate Members Dues (supplier or vendor to meat processing companies)
$250.00
Contact the SEMA office for membership applications, by e-mailing anna_ondick@earthlink.net or calling 407.365.5661.
R.L. Zeigler announced the promotion of George Baker to President of R.L. Zeigler Co. George serves on the SEMA Board of Directors and is a past President of SEMA.
John Thomas has resigned his position at Vector Packaging and accepted a position with Winpak as Product Manager for their new bag division. You can contact John at 919.522.8273.
Country Ranch Foods has excess production capacity for meat or poultry sausage patties. If interested call Ed Vanderslice Jr. at 770.792.9000. Country Ranch Foods is located in Marietta, GA.
Scott Process Equipment and Controls Inc. is a leading supplier and service provider of advanced food processing equipment to the meat, poultry, and seafood processor. Scott also provides technologically advanced temperature monitoring and process control solutions exclusive to the food industry. Contact Ed Tautkus at 905.607.5507, toll-free 888.343.5421 or e-mail info@scottpec.com.
| Southeastern Meat Association 407.365.5661 Annual Convention |
Daytona Beach, FL |
June 11-13 |
| North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) 703.758.1900 Management Conference |
Drake Hotel Chicago, IL | March 27-28 |
| North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) 703.758.1900 E. coli O157:H7 Mini-Conference |
Drake Hotel Chicago, IL | March 26 |