“Once finalized, implementing USDA’s proposed rule will not be a simple process,” wrote NCC Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., in the fall 2012 edition of the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s PoultryTech newsletter. “In fact, the implementation process will require extensive time, effort, and investment on behalf of chicken companies,” she continued. “Substantial capital will be required to make the necessary changes–from equipment to personnel–within each chicken processing facility that chooses to implement the new system and production adjustments would only be made when the market dictates such.”
Peterson said that the industry is committed to ensuring a safe, wholesome, and abundant supply of poultry products for both domestic and international markets, and the poultry slaughter inspection system plays an important role in this process. The chicken industry supports a science-based, statistically validated, establishment-oriented approach to food safety and poultry slaughter inspection.
Under the proposal, a USDA inspector will be stationed farther down the evisceration line and just before the chiller to ensure that birds have been properly processed. The facility will now be in charge of its own quality assurance program by training sorters to remove any quality defects from carcasses thereby allowing FSIS inspectors to focus more on food safety-related parameters and not visible defects.
“This is a significant change from the current inspection system,” Peterson said. “This change, coupled with the various other components of the proposed rule, will require significant investments on behalf of the chicken industry.”
The article also addresses possible changes to equipment, personnel, production and line speeds that would effect companies who choose to opt into the new inspection system.
NCC filed extensive comments on the proposed rule which are available by clicking here.
