Food Safety - Guidelines The guidelines are designed to provide a recommended set of practices and procedures that processors may want to adopt in their entirety or in part to ensure optimal quality and food safety. These recommendations focus on a variety of operations in the meat industry. Some items are not covered within the guidelines, but should be covered by existing Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and/or other plant-specific processing programs. Best Practices Producer Resource Guide Guidelines for Pathogen Control During Tenderizing/Enhancing of Whole Muscle Cuts - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations to discuss best practices that can be implemented throughout the tenderizing or enhancing operation, as well as during cleaning and sanitizing operations, to reduce the likelihood that contamination with potential pathogens (specifically E. coli O157:H7) will occur. Pathogen Control During Tenderizing/Enhancing of Whole Muscle Cuts - Condensed version of the orignal document published above Guidelines for Holding Tested Products - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations and operational personnel from a variety of sectors of the meat industry. Guidelines are designed to develop and discuss best practices that can be used throughout the food production system to ensure that products being tested for pathogens or other adulterants are held until results are received. Guidelines For Developing Best Practices For Beef Slaughter - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations and operational personnel from firms that have a slaughter operation. Guidelines are designed to discuss best practices that can be used throughout the slaughter operation to achieve the optimal end-result on the finished product. Guidelines For Handling Vacuum Packed Sub-Primal Beef Cuts - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations and operational personnel from firms that have beef fabrication operations. Guidelines are designed to recommend the optimum safe handling of the primary and potential secondary end products from vacuum-packaged sub-primal beef cuts. Guidelines For Developing Best Practices For Raw Ground Products - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations and operational personnel from firms that have grinding operations. Guidelines are designed to provide a recommended set of practices and procedures that processors may want to adopt to ensure optimal quality and food safety. Guidelines For Best Practices For Spinal Cord Removal - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations and operational personnel from firms that have beef slaughter operations. Guidelines were developed for the purpose of identifying certain procedures that may be followed to improve process control for assuring the removal of spinal cord from vertebral bone. Removing the Risk: Developing Best Practices For The Removal Of SRMs - Guidelines developed by Dr. Kerri Harris and Dr. Jeff Savell as best practices can be used for minimizing the risk of spreading BSE and controlling SRMs. Guidance For Beef Grinders and Suppliers Of Boneless Beef and Trim Products - Produced by the FSIS, this guide is intended to illustrates how grinders and suppliers of boneless beef and trim products can implement controls to minimize food safety hazards, such as E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella associated with ground beef. Guidance For Minimizing The Risk Of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella In Beef Slaughter Operations - Produced by the FSIS, this guide illustrates the implementation of controls to minimize food safety hazards (e.g. E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella ). This guide was designed on the belief that E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella are likely to be food hazards reasonably likely to occur in beef production. Guidelines For Developing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Environmental Sampling/Testing Recommendations (ESTRs) In Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Products - Guidelines developed by a group of trade organizations, operational personnel from firms producing RTE products, and a group of industry microbiologists . Guidelines outline the development of GMPs, SOPs and ESTRs to address Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat products. Guidelines For Developing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) For Raw Ground Products - Guidelines developed for the National Meat Association to provide general recommendations for GMPs and SOPs for grinding operations. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for Fermented Dry & Semi-Dry Sausage Products - Guidelines developed by the American Meat Institute Foundation to provide general recommendations for GMPs and SOPs for the production of fermented dry & semi-dry sausage products.