| ■ U.S. to Beef Up Some Inspections of Poultry, Meat | 07.02.26 |
| The U.S. Department of Agriculture is implementing the first changes to its meat and poultry plant inspections program in a decade, the Associated Press reported Monday. Plants with a history of problems will receive greater scrutiny, and conversely, plants that have better records of meat and poultry handling will see fewer inspections for contamination from E. coli, salmonella, and other germs. The new "risk-based" system will evaluate the type of product produced and the plant's record of food and safety violations, Agriculture Department officials told the AP. "There are certain food products that carry a higher inherent risk than others," said the department's top food safety official, Richard Raymond. "And there are certain plants that do a better job of controlling risk than others," he added. For now, the new system is to be implemented in processing plants, not those that actually slaughter the animals, the AP said. An implementation schedule is expected shortly. Raymond dismissed suggestions that budget cutbacks could be driving changes in the inspection program. "We're not going to be saving any money on this part of risk-based inspections," he said. The department's 7,500 safety inspectors conducted some 9.2 million inspections at 6,000 plants last year, the AP said. |