Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 7/8/15


USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service published preliminary data for the first six months of the Beef and Veal Carcass Baseline Survey (B-VCBS).

FSIS determined that the percent of all pathogens decreased from post hide removal to pre-chill.

“These results suggest that the interventions are reducing the pathogens on the beef and veal carcasses,” FSIS concluded. The preliminary data suggests that the indicator organisms decreased between the post-hide removal and pre-chill for both veal and beef.

The preliminary results also showed that beef has a higher percent of Salmonella positives at post-hide removal than veal while veal has higher percent of non-O157 STEC positives at post-hide removal than beef.

For this survey, FSIS is collecting swab samples from steers, cows, bulls, dairy cows, heifers, and veal carcasses (bob veal, formula-fed veal, non-formula fed veal, and heavy calves) at two different stages of the slaughtering process—post-hide removal/pre-evisceration and pre-chill.

FSIS will use the B-VCBS data to estimate the national prevalence of select pathogens and to evaluate the pre-evisceration and pre-chill dressing procedures and slaughter controls to develop compliance guidance and other regulatory policies.

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