Food Protection Trends - September 2008 - 672

NEWS FDA Finds Salmonella Strain on Jalapeno Pepper tions in response. Those complaints must seem quaint compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars this one outbreak has cost American growers, processors, and retailers. It’s time for Congress to step in and enact meaningful FDA reform legislation. Though time is short, Congress should act before another outbreak occurs to give FDA strong traceback authority, mandatory process control systems all the way back to the farm, and mandatory recall. The Bush Administration has consistently failed to put public health ahead of the complaints of industry lobbyists. Congress should not wait for more evidence that the agency doesn’t have the tools it needs. recalled meat and poultry from their local store and by providing lists of retail outlets during recalls, USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service will improve public health protection by better informing consumers.” USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) will post on its Web site a list of retail stores that receive products subject to Class I recalls, the highest risk category, generally within three to ten business days of issuing the recall release. A Class I recall is one that involves a reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death for those with weakened immune systems. Retail stores include supermarkets or other grocery stores, convenience stores, meat markets, wholesale clubs and supercenters. FSIS will not identify distribution centers, institutions or restaurants, since they prepare food for immediate consumption without packaging that is identifiable or available to consumers. During the recall process, FSIS personnel verify that the recalling firm has been diligent and successful in notifying its customers of the need to retrieve and control recalled products and that the customers have responded accordingly. During the recall effectiveness checks, FSIS compiles a list of subsequent recipients as the recalled products are traced through each level of distribution to the retail level. The list of retail stores and locations compiled by FSIS personnel during this process will be posted on the FSIS Web site www.fsis.usda. gov and shared with state and local public health officials where the retail stores are located. Recall announcements from FSIS always include the name of the establishment recalling the meat or M ore than 1,200 Americans have gotten sick and two people have died after eating produce contaminated with Salmonella Saintpaul. With an investigation spanning many weeks, food safety regulators have had a challenging time trying to track suspected tomatoes and peppers up or down the supply chain, hampered by paper records and repacking practices that effectively hide the identity of produce in the distribution chain. FDA announced an important breakthrough in the case: A Jalapeno pepper from a Mexican farm -- repacked at a Texas distribution facility -- has been found with the identical strain fingerprint of Salmonella as the human victims. Though we still do not know where or how the contamination occurred, what we do know is traceability tools that Congress adopted in the 2002 Bioterrorism Act were significantly watered down by the Bush Administration. In fact, in 2003, food industry lobbyists had special behind-closed-doors access when the Bush Administration was vetting new anti-bioterrorism regulations aimed at protecting the food supply from intentional contamination. Provisions stripped from the regulations, like requirements for distributors to record lot or code numbers, and requirements for record availability in 4 to 8 hours, might have been helpful nailing down this Salmonella outbreak much earlier. At the time, the industry complained that strong provisions were overly burdensome, and the Administration watered down the regula- USDA Will List Retail Stores Receiving Recalled Meat and Poultry Products ecretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer has announced that beginning next month, USDA will begin listing retail stores receiving meat and poultry products involved in Class I recalls – those of the most serious concern to public health. For some recalls, specific product information useful to consumers is not available to help identify recalled products that may still be in their home. This announcement provides a 30 day notice after the rule is published in the Federal Register before the process of listing retail stores takes effect. “The identity of retail stores with recalled meat and poultry from their suppliers has always been a missing piece of information for the public during a recall,” said Mr. Schafer. “People want to know if they need to be on the lookout for S 672 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | SEPTEMBER 2008
http://www.fsis.usda.gov
Food Protection Trends - September 2008

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