Feds Suspend Calif. Meatpacker Pending Probe Of Animal Abuse

USDA has suspended Westland Meat Co. of Chino, Calif., as a supplier to the agency's National School Lunch Program after the Humane Society of the United States posted on its Web site a video chronicling abuse of cattle at a supplier's slaughterhouse. - Posted 1/31/08 by AHB

K-State Seeks Meat And Poultry Workers To Take Online Food Defense Survey

Kansas State University, in cooperation with the North American Meat Processors Association, the American Association of Meat Processors and the American Meat Institute, is conducting a survey on food defense preparedness among meat and poultry plants. - Posted 1/30/08 by AHB

FSIS Announces New Salmonella Policies, Seeks Comments

FSIS has announced new policies and practices for the agency's salmonella verification sampling program and related activities in meat and poultry establishments. - Posted 1/29/08 by AHB

Schafer Confirmed As USDA Secretary

As expected, former North Dakota Governor Edward Schafer was confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. - Posted 1/29/08 by AHB

NACMPI To Hold Public Meeting On Inspection Initiative

The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will hold public meetings on Feb. 5 and 6, 2008. - Posted 1/24/08 by AHB

IKE Scenario 01-08:  FSIS Verification Of 9 CFR 416.2 (d) Regarding Frozen Condensate In Product Freezers (Part II)

This IKE is the second in a series to highlight the questions that inspection program personnel should ask when verifying compliance with 9 CFR 416.2(d), Ventilation. - Posted 1/15/08 by AHB

Smithfield, Tyson To Remain Clone-Free Following FDA Approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring are as safe for human consumption as those produced by conventional livestock, but that doesn't mean major meat processors are lining up to dabble with the technology. - Posted 1/15/08 by AHB

AMSA Issues White Paper On Low-Oxygen Meat Packaging

The American Meat Science Association has issued a new white paper titled, "Low-Oxygen Packaging of Fresh Meat with Carbon Monoxide: Meat Quality, Microbiology, and Safety." - Posted 1/15/08 by AHB

FSIS Launches Risk-Based Testing For E. coli In Raw Ground Beef

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service has commenced an enhanced risk-based sampling and testing program for E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef, one of the many programs it promised to initiate following the Topps Meat Co. recall last fall. - Posted 1/4/08 by AHB

FDA To Approve Livestock Cloning: Report

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue a final rule approving the sale of meat and milk to the public from cloned livestock as early as next week. - Posted 1/4/08 by AHB