Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 8/25/14


The American Meat Institute, the North American Meat Association and the National Grocers Association have sent a letter to the USDA requesting an extension of the comment period on the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) recently proposed rule  requiring retail supermarkets to keep detailed records on meat-grinding activities.

The groups are asking for an additional 60 days to allow for “a more informed and better rulemaking and in the process likely enhance public health.”

The proposed rule would require all makers of raw ground beef products to keep records, a rule aimed specifically at retailers that grind. Retail outlets regularly make ground beef by mixing cuts of beef from various sources. This proposal, if finalized, will require them to keep clear records identifying the source, supplier, and names of all materials used in the preparation of raw ground beef products.

“Even a cursory review of the agency’s economic analysis reveals that FSIS has significantly underestimated the costs the proposed rule would impose,” according to the letter. The groups cite as burdens significant additional investment in new technology and/or recordkeeping systems and additional training of “substantial numbers” of employees and management.

Traceback investigations can be hindered when retail outlets produce ground beef by mixing product from various sources but fail to keep clear records that would allow investigators to determine which supplier produced the unsafe product.

FSIS has concluded that recordkeeping by retail facilities that grind raw beef has not been sufficiently effective to date.
The public comment period for USDA's proposed rule expires on Sept. 22.

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