The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Monday released details on their new “hold and test” policy, which will soon require meat producers to hold shipments of ground beef, tenderized steaks and ready-to-eat products being tested by the agency until the results come back negative for Shiga-toxin producing E. coli. “This new… Continue Reading
Ohio this week became the first state to gain approval to sell meat from small, state-inspected slaughterhouses across state lines — a critical step toward rebuilding processing infrastructure for small-scale, regional meat and poultry producers. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan announced the news Thursday at a local foods conference hosted by Senator Sherrod Brown… Continue Reading
Opinion
I have been known as the “whistleblower” against Peanut Corp. of America, the company responsible for the peanut butter Salmonella outbreak of 2009, which eventually turned into the largest food recall in U.S. history. I worked there as production planner and assistant manager from July 2006 until November 2006, when I left because of personal… Continue Reading
In response to the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report, which found that the agencies responsible for monitoring veterinary drug, heavy metal, and pesticide residues are “not accomplishing” their mission, ABC News anchor Ron Claiborne sat down with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to discuss the findings. “I think… Continue Reading
Congressoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sent a letter yesterday to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Inspector General (IG) calling for an investigation of beef testing protocol. DeLauro requested that the IG look into the scientific merits and identify any shortcomings of the USDA’s N-60 testing system for beef, which requires the USDA’s… Continue Reading