The Missouri Department of Agriculture's Meat and Poultry Inspection Program has stopped custom exempt processing operations at Hilty's Custom Meats in Bowling Green. A routine inspection on February 5, 2013 found violations relating to "selling uninspected meat products to the public." This type of processing is used for livestock owners and hunters for their own consumption only. Meats processed under this exemption cannot legally be sold to the public. An investigation into the facility is ongoing and that form of processing will not be restarted until the investigation is completed and violations are corrected. If you purchased any items at Hilty's Custom Meats, make sure they were inspected before you eat them. You can contact the Missouri Department of Agriculture for questions … [Read more...]
FSIS Announces Cut in Import Inspections Four Years Later
The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published a notice in the Federal Register that it made a major change to the way it inspects countries that are eligible to export meat, poultry, and egg products to the U.S. The notice is Ongoing Equivalence Verifications of Foreign Regulatory Systems, Docket No. FSIS-2012-0049. Food & Water Watch has issued a press release about this action. They say that the announcement and accompanying public comment period regarding changes in this program are "too little, too late," since the change took place four years ago, at the beginning of the Obama Administration. Wenoah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said, "It is time for the Obama administration to fund this vital consumer protection program … [Read more...]
Houses Butchering Recalls Bacon, Summer Sausage
Houses Butchering LLC in Ohio is recalling 444 pounds of sliced bacon and 55 pounds of summer sausage because it was packaged without a food safety plan. The products are also misbranded. There have been no illnesses or complaints reported in association with the consumption of these products. The products were sold from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. The recalled products are Pork Bacon Thick Sliced in 1 pound packages, and Beef Summer Sausage in 1.5 pound packages. The label says "Houses Custom Butchering" on the address line, and the label has the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) mark of inspection and Est. 54 in the symbol outline of Ohio. The products may have a five digit code that begins with 12 (range: 12001 through 12366). They were sold directly from Houses … [Read more...]
Food & Water Watch Reveals Deregulated Foreign Meat Inspection Problems
Food & Water Watch released USDA inspection records this week from foreign meat plants that reveal problems of how deregulated meat inspection regimes can put US consumers at risk. The organization filed a Freedom of Information Act with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for foreign establishment audit checklists for all audits the agency conducted between 2009 and 2012. The Obama Administration ended the practice of posting individual plant checklists on its website. There were 155 pages in the release, which covered audit checklists from eight countries. Three examples, from Australia and Canada, reveal "conflicts of interest and long histories of poor food safety performance." Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement, … [Read more...]
Humphrey’s Market Recalls Chicken Products Made Without Inspection
Humphrey's Market in Illinois is recalling about 2,764 pounds of frozen ready to eat and raw poultry products that were produced without the benefit of inspection. The products were also misbranded and may contain soy, wheat, and milk that are not declared on the label. The following ready to eat products are recalled. Cryovac packages of "Mesquite Chicken Breast" containing 4-ounce portions, cryovac packages of "Italian Chicken Breast" in 3.5-ounce portions, cryovac packages of "Grilled Chicken Breast" in 4-ounce portions, cryovac packages of "Italian Tomato Basil Chicken Breast" in 4 ounce portions, and cryovac packages of "BBA Glazed Chicken Breast" in 3.1 ounce portions. The following raw products are recalled: cryovac packages of "Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast" in 5 ounce … [Read more...]
Food & Water Watch Disputes US-AU Food Safety Equivalency
Food & Water Watch has sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack about the equivalency status of Australia's privatized meat inspection program and the USDA program. Last year, the USDA decided to make the two programs equivalent, despite discoveries of contaminated meat imported from Australia. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement, "documents from USDA and Australian officials reveal that the repeated problems from products coming from Australia in 2012 show that this is a systemic problem and that privatized meat inspection in Australia is not working." The meat was contaminated with fecal material and contents of the digestive tract. The organization also opposes the "Beyond the Border" program, which is establishing … [Read more...]
Food and Water Watch Takes on Beyond the Border Pilot Program
Food & Water Watch has released a report covering their concerns about the Obama administration's "Beyond the Border" initiative, that will reduce regulatory requirements to facilitate trade between the United States and Canada. The organization has extreme reservations about some of the policies in that initiative, especially the elimination of the border inspection program at USDA. Maple Leaf Foods is going to be one of the participants in this pilot project. Food & Water Watch says they have learned about a report from USDA inspectors at the Niagara Falls border inspection station that rejected 40,000 pounds of canned hams produced by Maple Leaf Foods, Canadian Establishment 459, on October 18, 2012. When most of the cans were opened, part of the inner can liner came loose … [Read more...]
USDA’s Response Time to XL Foods E. coli Ground Beef Recall Criticized
Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit watchdog organization, is criticizing the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service actions on the Canadian firm XL Food's ground beef recall. That product was recalled for possible E. coli 0157:H7 contamination. The recall has been expanded six times, and Canadian inspectors found several problems at the XL Foods plant. While the recalls state that no illnesses are linked to these products, Canadian authorities are investigating an outbreak of five cases of E. coli 0157:H7 in Canada. Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of that group, said in a statement, "after knowing for 17 days that they had a potential public health crisis on their hands, the management of USDA's FSIS finally issued a "Public Health Alert" at 9:00 pm on Septmeber 20, 2012 … [Read more...]
Michigan Will Post Establishment Food Safety Scores Online
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is starting an online food establishment inspection report system called MiSafe. Consumers can just type in the establishment name, street address, and city and see more than 19,000 inspection reports. The reports cover grocery and convenience stores, food processors, and food warehouses. Those facilities are inspected every 6, 12, or 18 months, depending on the perceived food safety risks and complexity of food handling. These inspections will follow the updated food safety regulations that go into effect on October 1, 2012. According to the government, violations of food safety laws are problems that can lead to foodborne illness, food contamination, or an environmental health hazard. Severe violations that aren't … [Read more...]
Chicago Public Health Inspector Who Took Bribes Heads To Prison
A retired Chicago public health inspector who took almost $100,000 in bribes was sentenced to two and half years in federal prison last week. Maryanne Koll who taught food service sanitation classes and administered state certifications is alleged to have accepted at least $96,930 in bribes in exchange for fraudulently arranging to provide 531 people with certifications as food sanitations managers. Koll, 69, who operated Kollmar Food Safety Institute from her home in Burr Ridge, Ill., was convicted of one count of bribery conspiracy in federal court in September 2011. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber sentenced her to 30 months in prison and ordered her to begin serving the sentence on Dec. 31, 2012. llinois state law requires that all food service establishments have someone on … [Read more...]
