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OIG releases second and final N-60 report
Story Date: 5/22/2012
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 5/21/12
On the heels of a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), FSIS may start examining lymph nodes of cattle for the presence of Salmonella within the next five years.
The announcement comes as the OIG has completed its review of FSIS’s N-60 sampling program as requested by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in November 2009, on the heels of an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that caused at least two deaths and more than 24 illnesses in 11 states. DeLauro has questioned the statistical validity of the sampling protocol, how FSIS collects and analyzes samples, and how the agency and industry respond to results.
The new report, “Application of FSIS Sampling Protocol for Testing Beef Trim for E. coli O157:H7,” focuses on how the N-60 program is implemented in the field at beef slaughter and processing plants.
The second and final report does include several recommendations by OIG. Among them are that FSIS:
needs to provide clear guidance for how the industry responds to high event periodsneeds to consider shifting more resources to sampling trim for E. colineeds to improve the consistency in how its inspectors collect N-60 samples, andneeds to better communicate with state meat inspection agencies and small plants.The first report of the two-phase investigation was released in March 2011.
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