Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 11/16/11

An FSIS official said Tuesday that slaughter operators first need to assess controls for pathogen contamination on cattle during dressing procedures to prepare for compliance with USDA’s expanded ban on E. coli strains in raw beef product.

Dan Engeljohn addressed the industry in a webinar hosted by the North American Meat Processors Association, updating operators on policies the agency is developing. Much of the discussion centered on its proposed rule deeming six non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli as adulterants, scheduled to take effect in March. Initially, the agency will focus testing efforts on bench trim produced at slaughterhouses

“The most important thing for industry to me at this time is to determine whether or not the systems they have in place are in fact designed to look for and find contamination. I say that from [the perspective of] a slaughter establishment that manufactures trim as being most critical, ensuring slaughter dressing [procedures] are designed to prevent contamination,” he said. “There certainly are important [interventions] that can be improved at that initial stage of contamination coming into the system.”

Fitting, then, that earlier this month FSIS reissued a directive on verification of sanitary dressing during cattle slaughter. The agency will be checking up on operators to see that they’re implementing procedures that effectively prevent contamination on carcasses, Engeljohn said.

FSIS feels that current protocols in place to control E. coli O157:H7 should be just as effective in controlling the non-O157 strains, he said.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.