 Food
Safety Inspection Service
All U.S. Poultry meat which
is offered for export must be inspected and approved by the
Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U. S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA). The 90-year-old agency is regarded as
a model for food inspection services worldwide. A USDA inspection
stamp indicates that a Poultry product was properly processed,
has been inspected and is safe to eat. There are three integral
layers in FSIS food safety assurance: manual inspection, HACCP
and pathogen reduction.
According to the FSIS, meat inspection has several functions:
to detect diseased meat and take it off the line; to assure
clean and sanitary handling and preparation; to prevent adulteration
and false labeling; and to apply inspection insignia. Federal
inspectors are in place at every poultry plant in the United
States examining each Poultry carcass as it moves through the
processing channel. Inspectors are closely involved in plant
construction, antemortem inspection, postmortem inspection,
product inspection, product content determination, control and
restriction of condemned products and marking, labeling and
application of inspection insignia. Although this traditional
form of inspection is thorough, it cannot detect microscopic
or invisible defects.
On July 2A5, 1996, the FSIS introduced the Final Rule on Pathogen
Reduction and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP.)
The aim of this new approach is twofold: to target pathogens
that cause foodborne illness and to increase industry's awareness
of its responsibility to produce safe food.
What is HACCP? Essentially, HACCP is a procedure, which seeks
to identify and control the points in processing at which contamination
can occur. Since HACCP systems are designed to accommodate specific
plant requirements, the process design varies from plant to
plant.
A typical HACCP process involves the following procedures:
The traditional FBIS form of inspection is a thorough, comprehensive
system for manual inspection; however, it cannot detect microscopic
or invisible problems. The introduction of the Final Rule on
Pathogen Reduction and HACCP adds a scientific dimension to
the existing inspection process. HACCP systems dramatically
reduce potential hazards in the manufacturing process while
the pathogen reduction initiative prevents contaminated products
from entering the market place. The combination of these three
key elements in U.S. food safety assurance means that consumers
around the world can enjoy the highest-quality U.S. Poultry
products.
Source: Department of Agriculture, USA
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