Implementing Pre-Harvest Food Safety--The U.S. Approach

1
Implementing Pre-Harvest Food Safety--The U.S.
Approach

• By Thomas J. Billy, Administrator
• Food Safety and Inspection Service
• U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Challenges to Pre-Harvest Food Safety

• Limited information on effective practices
• National governments have limited authority
• Numerous variables exist, such as farm practices,
  animal health, and the environment

3
U.S. Farm-to-Table Strategy

• Those in control of each segment must bear the
  responsibility for identifying and preventing or
  reducing food safety hazards.

4
Pathogen Reduction/HACCP Rule

• Cornerstone of strategy
• HACCP, performance standards for Salmonella,
  testing for generic E. coli, sanitation SOPs
• Ripple effect to pre-harvest level
• Results reduced Salmonella on products reduced
  human illnesses

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Factors Driving Pre-harvest Change

• Regulatory requirements
• HACCP rule
• E. coli O157H7
• FDA feed ban
• Marketplace demands
• McDonalds Corp.
• Consumers

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Third-Party Certification Programs

• Demand growing, e.g. MinnCERT
• Assure purchasers that certain practices have
  been followed
• Non-Hormone Treated Cattle Program

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FSIS Pre-Harvest Strategy

• No regulatory authority at pre-harvest
• Educate producers
• Research
• Farm-to-table risk assessments
• One size doesnt fit all
• Transparency critical

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Educating Producers

• Use existing infrastructure to communicate
• Partnerships with state animal health agencies
• Commodity-specific programs such as Trichina-safe
  pork certification
• Guidelines for producers
• Producer organizations play role

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Research

• More research needed to identify specific
  practices to reduce hazards
• Multiple intervention strategies needed
• Promising interventions include competitive
  exclusion, feed and water additives
• Decoded genome for E. coli O157H7 may lead to a
  vaccine

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Farm-to-Table Risk Assessments

• Salmonella Enteritidis
• Led to Egg Safety Action Plan
• Farm-to-table interventions being implemented by
  various agencies
• FSIS Risk Assessment Center

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Future Plans

• Build on current activities
• Increased role for veterinarians at pre-harvest
  level
• education
• disease traceback
• residue avoidance

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Recommendations

• New requirements for meat and poultry plants
  should have a ripple effect on production sector
• Partnerships critical
• Science, through risk assessment, is key to
  developing effective risk reduction strategies

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GoalWe must bring producers into the food
safety business in order for the farm-to-table
chain to stay connected and be effective.