SEMA_________________________________

SOUTHEASTERN MEAT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 620777; Oviedo, FL 32762 Phone: 407-365-5661

Business; “A-Maze or A-Maze-ing”
Mark your calendar!
The SEMA Convention
Brasstown Valley Resort
Young Harris, GA.
June 11th & 12th

The SEMA Board of Directors is inviting processors from the southeast to attend the SEMA convention at the SEMA member rate.

$250.00 per person includes:

Convention Topics
Legislative Update Healthcare, Labor Laws, etc. / David Long-Daniels, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Banking Relations in Today’s Economy / Terry Vargo, Citizens Bank of Florida
Be Ready when US Immigration Knocks / Hector Chichoni, Epstein Becker Green
Global Food Safety / Jeff Chilton, Chilton Consulting Group
Internet Marketing / Jimmy Puckett & Cliff Hammock, Spinen
Food Packaging that Enables / Susan Edwards, Cryovac
Maximizing Yields with Simple to use Tools / Howard Eubanks, FOSS
Student Internships and SEMA Scholarships

Exhibits
Some 40 exhibitors will be on hand to share the latest in trends and technology.
Just to name a few; A.C. Legg Co. / Advanced Surfaces / Astro Products / CDC Software /
Chilton Consulting Group / Cryovac Sealed Air / Excalibur Seasoning / Express Label Co. /
FOSS North America / Globe Packaging / Golden Eagle Extrusions / Handtmann / International Casings Group / Mound Tool Company / Quality Casing / Robert Reiser & Co. / Standard Casing / Ulma Packaging / WinPak / Wolfson Casing / World Casing Corp.

Golf (includes cart)
Thursday afternoon $69.00
Saturday afternoon tournament $75.00

Brasstown Valley Resort
Brasstown Valley Resort is nestled among the North Georgia Mountains. The 503 acres resort has a lot to offer including golf, tennis, horseback riding, stream or pond fishing, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center and over 9 miles of hiking trails or you can enjoy a luxurious spa experience at the Equani Spa, a full-service spa. In the surrounding area nature lovers will enjoy rock climbing, white water and tube rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and guided lake tours.

For reservation and rate information call the SEMA office 407.365.5661.

There is no substitute for face-to-face interaction when it comes to solving complex problems.

This is a time for building relationships between buyers and suppliers.

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

Convention information and registration are available on the SEMA web site or call the SEMA office 407.365.5661.

"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked,
while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind."
--Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor

Senate Democrats' Draft Immigration Bill

Top Senate Democrats April 29 formally unveiled an outline for an immigration overhaul bill that includes tough border security measures in an effort to bolster support for moving immigration legislation this year. The outline, issued by Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Sens. Richard Durbin (Ill.), Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), would require that certain border enforcement benchmarks are reached before the undocumented immigrants already present in the United States could begin a process to legalize their status. The outline also includes a plan for biometric Social Security cards, streamlining of the legal entry of immigrant workers, and the creation of a labor market commission to make recommendations about the future flow of immigrant workers.

Provided by Hector Chichoni, Epstein Becker Green

Wal-Mart New Beef Safety Measures

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced it will implement additional beef safety measures designed to further protect customers against food borne illnesses. The new program requires Wal-Mart and Sam's Club beef suppliers to implement controls that would significantly reduce potential contamination levels and validate that the measures they've implemented are effective through specialized testing. The new process control standards and goals are additions to a food safety program that already requires ground beef suppliers to test for E.coli O157:H7 and achieve prevention-based certification against one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) internationally recognized standards.

Suppliers that do not operate slaughter houses must be in compliance with the new standard by June 2011. For beef slaughterhouse suppliers, there is a two-step approach with the first step to be completed by June 2011 and the second by June 2012.

The new requirements include a 3-log reduction for E. coli O157:H7 at slaughter operations and a 2-log reduction at further processing operations. Slaughter operations will be required later to show an additional 2-log reduction. Wal-Mart also will require their suppliers to meet validation requirements to show these reductions.

Wal-Mart’s VP for Food Safety, Frank Yiannas told Meatingplace, it is not absolutely mandating in-plant validation testing as long as the scientific review they are using is really representative of what is happening in their plant.

USDA Announces Upcoming Purchases of Commodities

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced USDA’s plan to purchase $161.4 million in a wide variety of foods for federal food and nutrition assistance programs.

Part of the purchases will be for up to $40 million of beef products; $2 million of lamb products; $5 million of catfish. A number of economic factors have led to surpluses; the purchases will help alleviate the stress caused by higher inventories and low prices that farmers and ranchers are receiving for their commodities. The food purchases will help support local food banks and other national nutrition programs by providing a wide variety of products. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) purchases a wide variety of food products each year to support the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and The Emergency Food Assistance Program. USDA also makes emergency food purchases for distribution to victims of natural disasters.

National Poultry Improvement Meeting

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) gave notice of a meeting of the General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and the NPIP’s 40th Biennial Conference. The General Conference Committee meeting will be August 31st and the Biennial Conference meeting will be September 1 & 2. Both meetings will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. The General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), representing cooperating State agencies and poultry industry members, serves an essential function by acting as liaison between the poultry industry and the Department in matters pertaining to poultry health. In addition, the Committee assists the Department in planning, organizing, and conducting the NPIP Biennial Conference. At the meetings and Biennial Conferences, the Committee discusses significant poultry health issues and makes recommendations to improve the NPIP program. Tentative topics for discussion include:

1. Salmonella enteritidis in meat-type chickens.
2. Salmonella isolation and identification protocol.
3. Notifiable avian influenza.
4. Avian mycoplasmosis.

The meetings will be open to the public. For more information, contact Andrew R. Rhorer, Senior Coordinator, National Poultry Improvement Plan, VS, APHIS, at 770-922-3496.

FSIS-ASK

Question: On January 5, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule in the Federal Register that amended its regulations to require the declaration by name of the color additives cochineal extract and carmine on the label of all food and cosmetic products in the United States 74 FR 207. How does this final rule affect products formulated with these colorants that are under the jurisdiction of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)?

Answer: The products under FSIS jurisdiction in which the colorants cochineal extract or carmine are approved for use in are very limited. Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 424.21(c), only provides for their use to color casings or rendered fats. Carmine or cochineal extract may also be used to color isolated soy protein for use in dry cured acidified sausages (refer to the listing for "carmine" in FSIS Directive 7120.1). For these approved uses, FSIS has always required that these ingredients be listed by their common or usual name, not simply as "coloring."

FSIS Notices Issued in May

FSIS Notice 19-10
Humane Handling Activities and Documentation in Livestock Slaughter Establishments

FSIS Directive 7120.1 Revision 2
Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products

FSIS Notice 21-10
Submission of FSIS Form 10,240-1, Production Information on Post-Lethality Exposed Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Products

All notices and directives are available at www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/index.asp

SEMA Member News

Multivac: Norm Winkel, Director of Key Accounts, retired from Multivac as of May 15th.

WELCOME NEW SEMA MEMBERS

Access Business Group
Joey Edwards (Nat’l Sales Mgr)
7575 Fulton Ave. E. Ada, MI 49355
616.787.7567

American Refrigeration LLC
Jim Hartley (V.P. Business Development)
11572 Davis Creek Ct. Jacksonville, FL 32256
251.665.9037

CDC Software
Chris Knapp (Sales) John Garcia (Marketing Mgr)
2002 Summit Blvd. Suite 700 Atlanta, GA 30319
678.892.2989
CDC is a past SEMA company and we welcome John to the Association

Plex Systems
Jon Cowan (Sr. Sales Executive)
1731 Harmon Rd. Auburn Hills, MI 48326
404.687.0047
Jon is a past member of SEMA and we welcome him & Plex Systems

Unipac North America
Phil Lane (sales)
150 Executive Center Dr. B#25 Greenville, SC 29615
864.297.3178

CALENDAR OF EVENTS