Meat Inspection

WHY DO WE NEED INSPECTION?

•About 90 diseases and parasites of animals can be transmitted to

humans by consumption of improperly cooked meat.

•The Meat Inspection Act Of 1906 was passed to help prevent

diseased meat from reaching consumers and to ensure that meat
is processed and stored under sanitary conditions.

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 Meat Inspection
•The 1906 legislative act created The Meat Inspection Service Of
The USDA. Todayy this agency
g y is called the Food Safetyy And
Inspection Service (FSIS)

•This federal inspection is required for all meat facilities involved

in interstate commerce.

•Some
S states
t t have
h state
t t meatt inspection
i ti services.
i Texas
T is
i one off
these states.

SOME MEAT INSPECTION CHRONOLOGY

1906 - Meat inspection act passed

1926 - Voluntary
Vl t poultry
lt inspection
i ti for
f interstate
i t t t andd foreign
f i commerce

1938 - On-the-farm slaughter and carcass transport to commercial plants

was stopped

1957 - Poultry inspection was required for interstate commerce

1958 - Humane Slaughter Act required for animals where meat was sold
to federal agencies

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 MORE CHRONOLOGY
1967 - Wholesome Meat Act; state inspection must equal federal
(closed 1,204 TX plants)

1968 - Wholesome
Wh l Poultry
P lt Act;
A t intrastate
i t t t commerce also
l coveredd

1978 - Humane Methods Of Slaughter Act; if inspected, must be

humanely stunned

1980 - Total quality control introduced

1984-92 - Streamlined Inspection (ended after a slanted expose on TV)

STILL MORE CHRONOLOGY

1990 - HACCP; identify critical points and control them

1990 - Nutrition labeling and education act

1994 - Safe Food Handling Statement Required

1994 - Mandatory food labeling; FSIS required all retail meats to have
nutritional labels

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 HUMANE SLAUGHTER ACT OF 1958
•This legislation was supported by animal activist groups.
– It requires that animals must be unconscious before they are bled
(Exsanguinated) to prevent pain.

•Approved stunning methods are:

– Captive bolt stunner
– Electric shock
– Carbon dioxide gas
• Works well but is difficult to use; Has been used with hogs
– Gunshot
• Dangerous

Ritual Slaughtering Such As For The Kosher

And Halal Trades Is Exempt From The Humane
Slaughter Act
• In Judaism, kosher means clean or fit to eat
– (according to Hebrew law)

• Unblemished cattle or sheep (Kosher animals must have split

hooves and chew the cud) are restrained with their throats
exposed.
• A Shohet with a 14-inch, razor-sharp knife severs the carotid
arteries and jugular veins behind the jaw with one pass of the
knife.
– When done properly, the animal loses consciousness in 3 seconds
because of low blood pressure and feels little pain.

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 KOSHER MEAT IS MAINLY
FOREQUARTERS
•Because Jewish people do not wish to consume blood (Leviticus
17:14), Kosher meat must be deveined and washed.
•
– Fore-quarters are closer to the heart and have larger blood vessels,
making them easier to devein than hind quarters.

•Because only about half of the blood is drained during

exsanguination, de-veining does not have the desired effect.

– The remainder of the blood is trapped in capillaries, which do not

empty easily.

STAMP FOR KOSHER MEAT

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 BASIC FUNCTIONS OF FEDERAL MEAT
INSPECTION

1. Detection and destruction of diseased or contaminated meat

2. Assurance of clean and sanitary handling and preparation
3. Minimization of microbial contamination
4. Prevention of adulteration
5. Prevention of false labeling
6. Application of inspection stamps

INSPECTOR RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Facilities construction and operational sanitation

2 Assurance that all plants adopt HACCP

2.

3. Assurance that SSOPs are practiced

4. Antemortem inspection

5. Postmortem inspection

6. Verification of HACCP system effectiveness

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 AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY OF
INSPECTORS

7. Oversight of protocols for E. Coli/salmonella

testing

8. Product inspection

9. Laboratory determinations

10. Control and restriction of condemned products

11. Marking, labeling and inspection insignia

WHO PAYS FOR FEDERAL INSPECTION?

Federal inspection for a normal 8-hour shift (40-hour week)
-Taxes at work

For overtime, federal holidays or special services.

- Packaging or processing facility (increase costs)

We sometimes have to “Push” students at the meat lab to finish

slaughtering
l ht i on time ti so that
th t we do
d nott have
h to
t pay overtime
ti
charges for inspection

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 INSPECTION vs. GRADING
• Inspection refers to wholesomeness (Fit to Eat)
– Also includes safety and accurate labeling
– Important to consumer

• Grading refers to quality or yield of meat

– Important to processor and producer

• Inspection is paid for by the government

– except for overtime, etc.;

• Grading is paid for by the company using the service.

• Inspection
p is administered byy the meat inspection
p branch Of FSIS

• Grading is administered by the standardization and grading branch of the

livestock and seed division of FSIS.

Types of Inspectors

• Professional, Medical or Veterinary

– Trained DVM
DVM’ss

• Non-Professional or Lay-persons
– On-line inspectors

• Laboratory Personnel
– Laboratory analysis

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 Facilities Concerns for Inspection Service
• Rail height
– Beef carcass rail must be 10’ 2” from floor
– Prevents carcass from dragging

• Wall and floor materials

– Must be nonporous and easily cleaned

• Exits and opening

p g
– Prevent insect contamination

• Lighting
– Inspectors must be able to see product

Types of Inspection and Tags

• Antemortem Inspection – Before death

– U.S. Suspect
• Gets further inspection on kill floor

– U.S. Condemned
• Must be tanked
• Or release for treatment

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 Types of Inspection and Tags
• Postmortem Inspection – After death

– U.S. Inspected and Passed

• Good for consumption as a raw product

– U.S. Condemned
• Whole carcass or parts are tanked

– U.S. Retained
• Railed off for more inspection

– U.S. Passed for cooking

• Re-inspect and if acceptable must be cooked prior to shipment

Types of Inspection and Tags

• Re-inspection
– Any product at any time can be re-inspected
– Safety net for strange occurrences

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 Inspection and Non-Meat Items

• Ingredients
– All ingredients must pass inspection
– Includes:
• Spices
• Casing
• Cures

• Formulations
– The amounts and kinds of anything must be approved by FSIS

The Need for HACCP

• Increasing number of new food pathogens

• Increasing public heath concerns

• Size and diversity of food industry

• International trade

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 HACCP Defined

• Management system which food safety is addressed through

the analysis and control of biological, chemical and physical
hazards from raw material production, procurement and
handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of
the finished product

HACCP

• FSIS published the Pathogen Reduction and HACCP System

Final Rule in July 1996.
– Framework for future U.S. meat and poultry inspection

• 4 key provisions
– Sanitations SOP’s
– Testing for generic E. coli
– Salmonella performance standards
– HACCP

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 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

•Sanitation procedures the plant would conduct before and during

operation to prevent direct product contamination or adulteration.
– Wash tables
– Equipment clean and sanitized
– Floor free of food or debris

Testing for generic E. coli

•Good indicator of direct fecal contamination.

•Plants
Pl t the
th testing
t ti & document
d t the
th results
lt (quantitative).
( tit ti )

Slaughter Class Acceptable Range Marginal Range Unacceptable Range

Cattle Negative <100 cfu/cm2 > 100 cfu/cm2

Poultry <100 cfu/ml 100 – 1000 cfu/ml > 1000 cfu/ml

Swine <10 cfu/cm2 10 – 10,000 cfu/cm2 >10,000 cfu/cm2

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 Salmonella Performance Standards

•Most
Most common cause of foodborne illness associated with meat and
poultry.

•Testing of raw carcasses and raw products, ground and/or

comminuted product.

•Testing conducted and enforced by FSIS (present or absence of the

organism).

Salmonella Performance Standards

Class % Positive # of samples Max. # of Positives

Steers/heifers 1.0 82 1

Cows/bulls 2.7 58 2

Ground beef 7.5 53 5

Hogs 8.7 55 6

Broilers 20.0 51 12
Ground chicken 44.6 53 26
Ground turkey 49.9 53 29

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 HACCP

• Conduct a hazard analysis.

• Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
(CCPs).
• Establish critical limits.
• Establish monitoring procedures.
• Establish corrective actions.
• Establish verification procedures.
• Establish record
record-keeping
keeping and documentation procedures.

HACCP Advantages
• Based on sound science.

• Focuses on identifying & preventing hazards from

contaminating food.

• Places responsibility for ensuring food safety appropriately on

the food manufacturer or distributor.

• Helps food companies compete more effectively in the world

market .

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 HACCP Advantages

•Permits more efficient and effective government oversight.

– primarily because the record keeping allows investigators to

see how well a firm is complying with food safety laws
over a period rather than how well it is doing on any given
day

Federal Inspection Stamp for Red Meat

Carcasses
• Round Shape
• Number is plant Code
• U.S. = Mean Federal
• Insp’d = Inspected
• P’S’D = Passed

• Is applied with an edible, purple dye

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Federal Inspection Stamp for Boxes or Packages
of Red Meats

• Round Shape
– Similar to red meat
– Contains more info
– Is provided to consumer

• Poultry plant code

– Code begins with P
– Poultry Identifier

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Federal Inspection Stamp for Exotic Meats

• Triangular Shape

• Examples
– Emu
– Ostrich

Specs Program Meat Stamp

• Specification program is
used by Institutional buyers
– Allows for meat to be bought
sight unseen.
– Protection for consumer

• Shield shaped stamp

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 Texas State Inspection Stamp

• 15 states have state

inspection.
– Must meet federal inspection

• Can not sell interstate with

state inspection

Irradiation Stamp

• Symbol and word appears

on package

• Symbol is applied with

green dye.

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 MEAT LAB LABEL
Accurate product name

Namee and
Na a d address
add ess of
o company
co pa y

Inspection stamp

Official plant number

Net weight

Handling instructions

Labels for Processed Meats

• For processed meats, Label must include ingredients

– Example:
• Pork, Water, Salt, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural
Flavoring, BHA, Propyl Gallate, Citric Acid

• Ingredients must be listed in order of predeominanace

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 Names for Retail Cuts

• If meat for sale is packaged in establishments that are not

under federal inspection, the name can be anything you like:

• “Bubbas Redneck Bologna”

Special label claims

• Lean or Low Fat
– < 10% fat ((except
p ground
g beef))
– Ground Beef is only beef
– “Hamburger” Can contain more than one meat or substance

• Extra Lean
– < 5% fat
– Hamburger and ground beef can not have more than 22.5% fat and be
labeled extra lean

• Lite, Light
– At least a 25% reduction in calories

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 Other Label Claims
• Salt Free
– “Free” means 5 mg or less sodium

• Extra
– 10% more than USDA requirement

• Natural
– No real rules, use caution when purchasing natural products

• Imitation
– Resembles real product in appearance

• Irradiation

Nutritional Labels
• Know how to read a label

• What is the daily value?

• During next supermarket visit

compare labels of similar products

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 What is fat content of this product?

• Serving size = 114 g

• Total fat = 13 g

• 13/114*100 = 11.4%

Bottom Half of Label

• Daily value is recommended

Daily Value (RDA)

• Figures based on:

– Women = 2,000 calories/d
– Men = 2,500 calories/d

• What is your average daily

calori intake?

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 Why Have Inspection?

• Inspection personnel want meat to be safe

– But may contain unseen pathogens

• Prevent food poisoning

• Assume meat is contaminated and handle properly

Follow to Prevent Disease

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