Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 12/8/10

A USDA survey showed an increase in the percentage of small and very small FSIS-inspected poultry and meat plants with functional food defense plans between December 2009 and August 2010.

USDA defines a food defense plan as functional if measures are in place to address outside security, inside security, personnel security and incident response. The establishment must have also tested and reviewed its plan within the past year.

Small plants with functional plans rose to 82 percent from 72 percent and very small plants rose to 64 percent from 49 percent during the eight month period, according to USDA. Large plants remained unchanged at 97 percent with functional food defense plans.

In its August survey, USDA also started tracking processed egg product plants and import inspection establishments.

In 2010, USDA made the voluntary adoption of food defense plans a performance objective. The target is for 90 percent of establishments to have a functional food defense plan by 2015.

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