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Implementing Pre-Harvest Food Safety--The U.S. Approach. Original PowerPoint Created By Thomas J. Billy, Administrator Food Safety and Inspection Service U.S. Department of Agriculture. Modified by Georgia Agriculture Education Curriculum Office June 2002.
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Implementing Pre-Harvest Food Safety--The U.S. Approach Original PowerPoint Created By Thomas J. Billy, Administrator Food Safety and Inspection Service U.S. Department of Agriculture Modified by Georgia Agriculture Education Curriculum Office June 2002
Challenges to Pre-Harvest Food Safety • Limited information on effective practices • National governments have limited authority • Numerous variables exist, such as farm practices, animal health, and the environment
U.S. Farm-to-Table Strategy “Those in control of each segment must bear the responsibility for identifying and preventing or reducing food safety hazards.”
Pathogen Reduction/HACCP Rule • Cornerstone of strategy • HACCP, performance standards for Salmonella, testing for generic E. coli, sanitation SOP’s • Ripple effect to pre-harvest level • Results: reduced Salmonella on products; reduced human illnesses
Factors Driving Pre-harvest Change • Regulatory requirements • HACCP rule • E. coli O157:H7 • FDA feed ban • Marketplace demands • McDonald’s Corp. • Consumers
Third-Party Certification Programs • Demand growing, e.g. MinnCERT • Assure purchasers that certain practices have been followed • Non-Hormone Treated Cattle Program
FSIS Pre-Harvest Strategy • No regulatory authority at pre-harvest • Educate producers • Research • Farm-to-table risk assessments • One size doesn’t fit all • Transparency critical
Educating Producers • Use existing infrastructure to communicate • Partnerships with state animal health agencies • Commodity-specific programs such as Trichina-safe pork certification • Guidelines for producers • Producer organizations play role
Research • More research needed to identify specific practices to reduce hazards • Multiple intervention strategies needed • Promising interventions include competitive exclusion, feed and water additives • Decoded genome for E. coli O157:H7 may lead to a vaccine
Farm-to-Table Risk Assessments • Salmonella Enteritidis • Led to Egg Safety Action Plan • Farm-to-table interventions being implemented by various agencies • FSIS Risk Assessment Center
Future Plans • Build on current activities • Increased role for veterinarians at pre-harvest level • education • disease traceback • residue avoidance
Recommendations • New requirements for meat and poultry plants should have a ripple effect on production sector • Partnerships critical • Science, through risk assessment, is key to developing effective risk reduction strategies
Goal“We must bring producers into the food safety business in order for the farm-to-table chain to stay connected and be effective.”