SEMA_________________________________

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

Smithfield appoints new Farmland Foods President

Michael Brown started his new role October 4th as the president and chief operating officer of the Kansas City, MO. based subsidiary, Farmland Foods. Brown had served as president of Armour-Echrich since 2008 but will now report to the president and chief operating officer of Smithfield’s pork group, George Richter.

Beef Safety Challenges Workshop

The Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo) is sponsoring a southeast workshop in Nashville, TN. on November 10th -- “Addressing Beef Safety Challenges”.

During the meeting attendees will:

• Discuss current safety issues with colleagues from the beef industry and technical experts during technical sessions.
• Network with colleagues, government agency representatives and the research community.
• Determine courses of action to help reduce food borne pathogen incidence and enhance the safety of U.S. beef products.
• Gain insight from a leading HACCP expert on process knowledge and application of regulatory programs. This interactive session will provide valuable information that can be applied immediately in your beef production process.

Registration fee is $150.00. For more information please contact the NCBA Meetings Department at 303.694.0305 or meetings@beef.org.

Meat Quality Survey

A group of students from John Brown University in Northwest Arkansas are conducting research as part of a senior capstone class which involves writing a business plan centered on a beef tenderness measurement technology. They are surveying meat processors across the nation about their perceptions of beef tenderness.

Here is the survey: www.surveygizmo.com/s3/393483/Survey-of-Meat-Quality
If you have any questions contact Kirk Dennison at kirk.dennison@gmail.com

Ethanol Issue

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed to let refiners increase the corn-based fuel additive in gasoline to as much as 15 percent, from 10 percent, for vehicles in model-years 2007 and later. SEMA wrote opposing the increase in ethanol until further testing was done and research the effect it will have on the food industry.

Leadership Skills

All leaders need four key skills:

• The ability to recognize others' strengths
• To rally people around a cause
• To clearly define success
• To value themselves and their workers despite their shortcomings.

“ Great leaders recognize that the best way to get the highest value is to give the highest value,"

Tony Schwartz is President and CEO of The Energy Project

Webcast – Achieving and Maintaining Your Food Safety Certification

Robert Prevendar, Director of Food Safety Certification at NSF International, and Dave Fusaro, Editor in Chief of Food Processing Magazine, outline the steps to achieving and maintaining your food safety certification. Learn how software can help you comply with Document Control, Corrective and Preventive Action, Product Traceability and Recall certification codes.
http://cdcsoftware-marketing.com/mk/get/ERP_FB_WE_NA_ENSURING_FOOD_COMPLIANCE?MP=SEMA

Provided by John Garcia, CDC Software
T: 678-892-2989

FSIS Notices

FSIS Directive 9030 Targeting for High-Risk Imported Product Shipments
FSIS Directive 8080.1 Recall of Meat and Poultry Products
FSIS Directive 7120.1 Safe & Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, Poultry and
Egg Products

The following Notices were issued Oct 8, 2010:
57-10, Export Library Revisions in September 2010
58-10, Collecting Supplier Information at the Time of Sample Collection for Escherichia coli (E. coli)
O157:H7 in Raw Ground Beef Products and Bench Trim
59-10, Compositing of Environmental Samples Collected During Routine Risk-Based Listeria
monocytogenes RLm Sampling
60-10, Intensified Verification Testing and "For Cause" Food Safety Assessments in Response to
Ready-to-Eat Testing Results
61-10, Date of Issuance for Export Certificates

More at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ Regulations_&_Policies/index.asp.

FSIS-ASK

Documenting Food Safety Noncompliance

Question: Does HACCP 03 or Sanitation SOP 01 noncompliance carry more "regulatory weight" than a Sanitation Performance Standard 06D01 noncompliance?
Answer: No. FSIS is aware that insanitary facilities or equipment, poor food handling practices, improper personal hygiene, and similar insanitary practices create an environment that can result in the adulteration of products. Therefore, all three types of inspection verification activities carry the same "regulatory weight" in terms of addressing food safety.

SEMA Industry News

VC999 Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence, its operations continues growing with a recent 40,000 square foot expansion of its production facility, several new products introduced in the last year and a continuing emphasis on manufacturing in the United States. “VC999 is committed to our customers and our operations here in the U.S.,” said company president Silvio Weder. “Our first 25 years in North America have been very good, and we’re looking forward to building on our successes in the next 25 years.”

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

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