Supplying food for the National School Lunch Program is about to see tighter safety regulations. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in an attempt to tie tighter regulations and higher standards around meat products being consumed by children in school lunch programs. At issue is the frequency with which meat products are tested before they are included in cafeteria lunches.  Gillibrand is calling for testing procedures similar to those used in the food industry. She cited Costco and Jack in the Box for having strict testing programs. She is also asking that the USDA to “terminate contracts with any habitual violators of your food safety policies.”

The attempt is part of the senator’s E. coli Eradication Act, legislation she authored that would for the first time federally mandate testing of all ground beef for E. coli. Her goal is to set stricter guidelines for bacteria, which may mean more testing for the livestock and meat production industry.

The highlight of the bill would be a requirement that slaughterhouses, producers and grinding facilities receiving ground beef trimmings use independent testing facilities for the E. coli testing. Also, the testing facilities would be given annual contracts to eliminate the chance of the testing facility being fired by the company as a result of returning too many positive E. coli test results.

For small producers, all is not lost. The bill sets a threshold 25,000 pounds of trim per day. Producers whose business falls under that threshold are given three years to comply with the measure.

The bill will put tighter recall deadlines on meat products; specifically, retailers must be notified of all Class I recalls directly and within 24 hours of a public recall. Also, producers will be expected to develop prevention plans to deal with food-borne hazards. That plan must be accessible by the FDA.

The good news is that the new bill, if passed, puts tighter food safety regulations on imported foods, leveling the playing field for domestic producers. To find out how the proposed legislation could affect your agribusiness, contact us for a free consultation. Understanding how to put together a prevention plan before it’s required could help you save both time and claims dollars later.

Flickr photo credit: VirtualErn

Filed under: Agribusiness by afis blogger