How safe is our food supply? Each year the media report what appears to be growing concern related to illness caused by the food consumed by Americans. These food borne illnesses are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, pesticide residues, and food additives. Recent actions taken at the federal, state, and local levels in response to the increase in reported incidences of food borne illnesses point to the need to evaluate the food safety system in the United States. This book assesses the effectiveness of the current food safety system and provides recommendations on changes needed to ensure an effective science-based food safety system. Ensuring Safe Food discusses such important issues as: What are the primary hazards associated with the food supply? What gaps exist in the current system for ensuring a safe food supply? What effects do trends in food consumption have on food safety? What is the impact of food preparation and handling practices in the home, in food services, or in production operations on the risk of food borne illnesses? What organizational changes in responsibility or oversight could be made to increase the effectiveness of the food safety system in the United States? Current concerns associated with microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards in the food supply are discussed. The book also considers how changes in technology and food processing might introduce new risks. Recommendations are made on steps for developing a coordinated, unified system for food safety. The book also highlights areas that need additional study. Ensuring Safe Food will be important for policymakers, food trade professionals, food producers, food processors, food researchers, public health professionals, and consumers.

According to surveys, the public believes the chickens it is buying are wholesome. Poultry Inspection: The Basis for a Risk-Assessment Approach looks at current inspection procedures to determine how effective the Food Safety Inspection Service is in finding dangerous levels of contaminants and disease-producing microorganisms. The book first describes the history behind the current system, noting that the amount of poultry inspected has increased dramatically while techniques and regulations have remained constant since 1968. The steps involved in an inspection are then described, followed by a discussion of alternative and innovative inspection procedures. It then provides a risk-assessment model for poultry, including submodels for each stage of processing. Risk assessment is used to protect health, establish priorities, identify problems, and set acceptable levels of risk. The model is applied both to microbiological hazards and to chemical contaminants.

MEAT INSPECTION AND CONTROL IN THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE Meat inspection, meat hygiene and official control tasks in the slaughterhouse have always been of major importance in the meat industry and are intimately related to animal diseases and animal welfare. Huge steps have been taken over more than a century to prevent the transmission of pathogenic organisms and contagious diseases from animals to humans. Various factors influence the quality and safety of meat, including public health hazards (zoonotic pathogens, chemical substances and veterinary drugs) and animal health and welfare issues during transport and slaughter. Meat inspection is one of the most important programmes in improving food safety and its scope has enlarged considerably in recent decades. Globalization has affected the complexity of the modern meat chain and has provided possibilities for food frauds and unfair competition. During the last two decades many food fraud cases have been reported that have caused concern among consumers and the industry. Subsequently, meat inspection has been faced with new challenges. Meat Inspection and Control in the Slaughterhouse is an up-to-date reference book that responds to these changes and reflects the continued importance of meat inspection for the food industry. The contributors to this book are all international experts in the areas of meat inspection and the official controls limited to slaughterhouses, providing a rare insight into the international meat trade.This book will be of importance to students, professionals and members of the research community worldwide who aim to improve standards of meat inspection procedures and food safety.

The RACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) concept for food products was an outgrowth of the US space program with the demand for a safe food supply for manned space flights by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The original work was carried out by the Pillsbury Company under the direction of Roward E. Bauman, who as the author of chapter 1 describes the evolution of the RACCP system and its adaptation to foods. The second chapter discusses the adoption of RACCP principles and explains how they fit into the USDA and FDA meat, poultry and seafood inspection systems. The next chapter discusses how RACCP principles can be extended to production of meat, poultry and seafoods, a most important area involved in producing a safe food supply. Chapter 4 deals with the use of RACCP in controlling hazards encountered in slaughtering and distribution of fresh meat and poultry, while chapter 5 discusses the problem - both spoilage and hazards - involved in processing and distribution of meat, poultry and seafood products. Chapter 6 covers the entire area of fish and seafoods, including both fresh and processed products from the standpoints of spoilage and hazards.

This Policy Book is assembled in dictionary form and may be used in conjunction with the Meat and Poultry Inspection Regulations and the Meat and Poultry Inspection Manual, Directives and Notices. It is a composite of policy and day-to-day labeling decision, many of which do not appear in the above publications. They are subject to change and therefore a periodic updating of this book will take place. Note: Red Meat -- Required percentages of meat required for red meat products are shown on the basis of fresh uncooked weight unless otherwise indicated. For purposes of this Policy Book, whenever the terms beef, pork, lamb, mutton, or veal are used they indicate the use of skeletal muscle tissue from the named species (9 CFR 301.2). Note: Poultry-- Required percentages for poultry products are based on a cooked deboned basis unless otherwise stated. When the standards indicate "poultry", the skin and fat are not to exceed natural proportions per (9 CFR 381.117(d)).