USDA proposes cuts in meat inspector visits

[Guest guest]

March 22, 2000

Web posted at: 10:14 AM EST (1514 GMT)

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Cutting back on inspectors' visits to meat processing plants

could save millions of dollars in overtime pay that is borne by the industry,

while allowing the government to concentrate on facilities where food is most

likely to be contaminated, federal officials say.

 

Inspectors currently are required to visit each processing plant once a shift,

including overtime runs. The Agriculture Department wants to switch to daily,

random checks, starting in a year.

 

" By having our resources allocated based on risk the public is well served, "

Margaret Glavin, associate administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection

Service, said Tuesday.

 

Critics said the move could imperil public health. " This idea comes out of left

field with no data to support it, " said Caroline Smith DeWaal of the Center for

Science in the Public Interest. " It's just saving money for the industry. "

 

Millions spent in overtime pay

 

Processors, who must cover the inspectors' overtime pay, would save an estimated

$19 million a year. The department, which has 7,500 inspectors, would save $4

million, which would be shifted to other food safety programs.

 

Inspectors, who often work 12-hour shifts, can earn up to $14,000 a year in

overtime in addition to their salaries, which average $35,000 to $45,000.

 

Slaughtering plants, which must have USDA inspectors on site at all times, would

not be affected.

 

Inspections would be reduced at processing plants, including soup canneries,

where the risk of contamination is lowest, and focused instead on plants that

have a history of problems or are considered to be riskier because of what they

process, such as ground beef, the most common source of the deadly E. coli

O157:H7.

 

Focus on meat processing

 

Several major incidences of food poisoning have been traced to processed meat

products in recent years, including a 1998 outbreak at a Michigan hot dog plant

that killed 15 people and sickened at least 100 others.

 

However, overall foodborne illnesses have been dropping, and health officials

say the decline is due in part to a new science-based inspection system that is

now being used in processing plants nationwide. It requires plants to identify

and control for possible contamination rather than relying on federal inspectors

to catch problems.

 

USDA officials say that means their inspectors can be used more effectively in

an oversight role. Switching to a random inspection system for processors will

make it harder for facilities to hide problems from the government, Glavin said.

 

" If a plant does not know when an inspector might show up we think there's some

deterrent there, " she said.

 

She acknowledged the reduced inspections will save the plants money but said

that was not the purpose.

 

USDA's inspectors union is opposed to the reduction as well as a pilot project

at several slaughtering plants where inspectors have been pulled off production

lines and used to oversee plant employees.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/03/22/meat.safety.ap/index.html

--

_____________

Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmamail.com

 

 

powered by OutBlaze