Food Safety

Meat & poultry products (M&PP) contaminated with bacteria cause most foodborne illnesses & deaths. In 1997, the USDA announced the need to modify its M&PP slaughter inspect. prog. to make industry more responsible for identifying carcass defects. USDA developed a model to test whether such a change would ensure the safety of M&PP. This report: describes the objectives, design, & scope of the pilot project; identifies limitations in the project's design & methodology; & determines if the data generated by the project will allow USDA to reach valid conclusions on the relative effectiveness of modified & traditional inspection methods in ensuring food safety & quality.