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Last Updated: Apr 20, 2011 - 9:38:09 AM |
Statement of Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety: Risk-Based Inspection at Processing Establishments
"With the announcement of a tentative timetable for the implementation of a more robust risk-based inspection system in processing establishments, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is once again demonstrating its determination and commitment to a transparent and inclusive process.
"As I indicated based on comments received from stakeholders at a two-day public meeting in October, FSIS intends to gradually implement risk-based inspection in a careful and deliberative manner. We are proposing that beginning in April, FSIS inspection program personnel will begin performing food safety verification procedures based on risk in 30 prototype locations, performing inspection tasks for the first time based on an objective measurement of a plant's inspection track record and the relative risk of what is produced. FSIS inspection program personnel will be applying their knowledge, training and experience in a way that we believe will further protect public health. FSIS will conduct ongoing analysis of the tasks inspectors perform in these locations without computer-driven task scheduling. Improvements will be identified and implemented. If all goes well at the 30 prototype locations, the number will be gradually expanded to 150 locations by the end of this calendar year.
"As the Resolve report made clear, all stakeholders agree that dedicating more inspection resources to those plants that are not demonstrating effective and consistent control of risk is a sound concept. Resolve is the third party facilitator recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. Everyone agrees that not all plants and all processes pose an equal risk to public health and that FSIS should have the ability to shift resources as needed to more proactively protect the public from foodborne illness from meat, poultry and egg products.
"While FSIS proposes to begin the implementation process in April, we fully intend to continue discussing and receiving input on the specific components of risk-based inspection in an effort to continue improving the value of our data and how it is applied. However, FSIS believes that the data today is sound, comprehensive and reliable and we do not intend to let the desire for perfection impede the potential to make real and immediate improvements when public health is at stake. As I have said previously, risk-based inspection at processing establishments is about improving the effectiveness of inspection and protecting public health. It will not reduce the number of inspectors nor will it save any money.
"In the coming months, we intend to conduct a second expert elicitation to further refine our ranking of products. Among the changes in the second elicitation will be asking experts, including those with public health expertise, to consider the severity of potential illness in determining a product's risk, which was suggested by various groups.
"We also plan technical briefings to discuss the use of production volume, industry data, noncompliance records, expert elicitations and foodborne disease attribution data as part of a more robust risk-based inspection system.
"Risk-based inspection has benefited from the free exchange of ideas and constructive suggestions presented to us by our stakeholders. These valuable insights will continually be sought in many ways as the process of implementing risk-based inspection in processing establishments continues."
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Last Modified: February 22, 2007
FSIS Proposes Timeline for Risk-Based Inspection in Processing Plants
Congressional and Public Affairs
(202) 720-9113
Steven Cohen
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2007 — USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond today announced a timetable for introducing more robust risk-based inspection in processing plants, proposing to begin in April with 30 locations representing about 254 establishments and potentially expanding to approximately 150 locations by the end
of 2007.
To better protect public health, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) intends to better utilize the information regularly collected by inspection program personnel at processing establishments to improve food safety. By taking into account the relative risk of what each processing plant produces and how each plant is controlling risk in its operations, FSIS will more effectively allocate inspection resources to those processing plants needing it the most, while continuing daily inspection at all processing facilities. The level of inspection at a processing plant will be based on a number of objective factors such as public health related inspection noncompliances and FSIS microbiological testing results and will be updated each month so that inspection resources can be adjusted as conditions change. This enhanced inspection system will be more proactive in terms of preventing human illness and will yield greater confidence that meat, poultry and egg products are safe. Risk-based inspection in processing establishments has benefited from the input and expertise of all stakeholders during its development.
"To continue to prevent foodborne illness, we have to improve our prevention capabilities, not just respond quickly after an outbreak occurs," Raymond said. "Our inspectors visit every one of these plants every day and that won't change. What will change is we will no longer be treating every plant like every other plant in terms of its adverse public health potential and we will start using the information and the inspection expertise we already have in ways that better protect consumers."
Raymond noted that incorporating risk prevention more thoroughly into inspection activities has been an ongoing process at FSIS, from the implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in 1998 to the 2006 Salmonella reduction initiative.
Raymond said that gradually implementing risk-based inspection will ensure that all aspects of the program can be thoroughly evaluated and revised as needed before it is expanded nationwide. He added that the open and transparent process that has characterized the initiative will continue with the scheduling of a series of technical briefings to discuss the use of production volume, industry data, non-compliance records, expert elicitations and foodborne disease attribution data as part of a more robust risk-based inspection system.
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