NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
May 7, 1998
Meat processors in the region are taking steps to avoid making food safety headlines.
Under new Federal meat safety rules, they're implementing detailed food safety plans that take into account unique equipment, employee and plant differences at each of their businesses. Although inspectors will still monitor sanitation and operating procedures at meat processing plants, the HACCP (pronounced Hass-ip for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) basic structure emphasizes prevention of contamination rather than inspections to assure safe production of food products. The result should be meat products that are safe from potential biological, physical or chemical food safety hazards.
Thirty-two employees of meat processing plants in North Dakota and Minnesota voluntarily attended a two-day technical workshop on the HACCP approach to food safety at North Dakota State University May 1-2.
HACCP was developed by NASA to ensure safe food for astronauts. It involves taking a critical look at each step in the food processing and handling process. Each of the steps is assessed for the risk of introducing contamination. Critical control points are the steps that must be monitored to reduce or eliminate that risk.
"In many cases, these processors already have many of the basic components of HACCP in place, they just don't call it that," said Annette Yarhouse, a staff officer with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. "They just need to add some final steps or record-keeping." Yarhouse conducted the workshop with NDSU meat researcher Marty Marchello and food and nutrition specialist Julie Garden-Robinson.
Under new meat safety regulations passed by Congress last year, all Federally-inspected meat processors must institute HACCP plans by the year 2000, Yarhouse said. The largest processors had to have plans in place by January 1998. Midsized processors need to have plans completed by January 1999. The smallest processors, with 10 or fewer employees, need to comply by January in the year 2000.
"Every plant and every process is unique because of plant layout, employees, equipment or other factors," Yarhouse said. "HACCP helps processors tailor their food safety programs to that uniqueness. It helps them establish a lot of internal quality controls."
Although consumers won't see any outward signs, implementation of HACCP plans should mean safer meat. And if outbreaks do occur, consistent and complete HACCP record keeping should help officials alert consumers faster and remove tainted products from shelves sooner, Yarhouse said.
The plans should help protect consumers, but food purchasers and preparers still bear much of the responsibility for safe food, notes NDSU's Garden-Robinson.
"Consumers are still eating too much undercooked meat and not keeping cutting boards and other food preparation areas clean," she notes. "HACCP can do a lot to eliminate hazards at the processing plant, but it's all for nothing if consumers don't cook food thoroughly and follow good hygiene practices at home."
NDSU has helped move HACCP plans into kitchens at restaurants and institutional food services around the state during the past three years. Workshops across the state have reached food service employees in hospitals, nursing homes, daycare centers, delis and restaurants.
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Sources: Marty Marchello (701) 231-7682 & Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629