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In his first year as administrator of USDA's Food Safety
and Inspection Service, Alfred Almanza has tackled challenges
including adequate inspection staffing levels, consistent
and accurate meat labeling and better outreach to owners
of small plants.
He addressed these issues in a recent interview with Meatingplace.com
.
Meatingplace: There has been a lot of discussion
about FSIS inspector staffing levels at federally inspected
plants. Are current staffing levels adequate?
Almanza: I do think we are adequately
staffed. We continue to hire. We are using an intern program
to hire into slaughter inspection. We are using relocation
bonuses. We are using hiring bonuses for areas where we
are short-handed. We also have the resources to adjust between
districts. For example, if Denver is low, Dallas can loan
them inspectors. We also have relief inspectors who work
part-time and are not counted in the permanent workforce
numbers.
Meatingplace: From the rumor mill, some of our readers
claim FSIS inspectors are mandated to write a minimum number
of NRs (Noncompliance Records). Is this true?
Almanza: I'd say that's false. A more
accurate description is that whenever a plant has zero NRs,
you would assume that it would be a perfect plant. We have
to document deficiencies and have their preventative and
corrective measures documented. I'm not aware of any quotas,
and certainly I have made it very clear to field operations
that, yes, our expectations are that deficiencies are documented,
but we are not going to order or direct any of our inspectors
on any number of NRs to be documented on a day, a month,
etcetera.
Meatingplace: Where is FSIS in the process of evaluating
whether to expand the beef products it would declare adulterated
if contaminated with E. coli O157:H7?
Almanza: One of the things we are really
focusing on now is bench trim. We are looking at different
products in a systematic approach to see what makes sense
to address first. Then we will look at the risk that is
involved in the other products, whether it is in-tact primals
or subprimals. We are not going to talk it to death, but
I think it would be unfair for me to say we'll have something
(by a certain date).
Meatingplace: FSIS just this week launched its first
of three workshops for small and very small plant owners
in Houston, Philadelphia and Raleigh, N.C. What are you
doing for those who can't travel to these locations?
Almanza: We are recording these sessions
and making transcripts available on our Web site and as
Podcasts. We are also putting them on DVDs and CD-ROMs that
we can mail out.
Meatingplace: Last week Tyson's antibiotic labeling
was pulled. How long will it be before FSIS might come out
with new rules around such labeling?
Almanza: First we are gathering information
from all companies that use any type of antibiotic labeling.
I would say by late summer we will start the public meeting
process.
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