News Update

News Update
Feb. 23, 2006

FSIS Announces Initiative to Reduce Salmonella in Meat, Poultry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today announced a comprehensive initiative to reduce the presence of Salmonella in raw meat and poultry products.

“Our goal is to work proactively to reduce the presence of Salmonella on raw products before plants develop a pattern of poor performance,” said USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond. “FSIS will more quickly report testing results and target establishments needing improvement, providing timely information to both consumers and industry.”

The initiative will include concentrating resources at establishments with higher levels of Salmonella and will change the reporting and utilization of FSIS Salmonella verification test results. The effort is patterned after the highly successful FSIS initiative to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. The FSIS E. coli O157:H7 initiative led to a 40% reduction in human illnesses associated with the pathogen, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Central to the E. coli O157:H7 model’s success was a collective acknowledgement by the industry that this food safety hazard needed to be addressed in all their food safety systems.

Certain serotypes of Salmonella, which are known to cause human illness, are commonly found in raw meat and poultry. Other food sources, such as produce and eggs, are also known to cause salmonellosis.

Since 2002, FSIS has seen an increase in Salmonella-positive samples in broilers. Although the overall percentage of positive samples in verification testing of broilers is still below national baseline prevalence figures, the recent upward trend is of concern to the agency.

According to the strategy, which is described in a Federal Register notice to be published Feb. 27, FSIS will now provide the results of its Salmonella performance standard testing to establishments as soon as they become available on a sample-by-sample basis. This will enable establishments to more readily identify and respond to needed process control in the harvest-dressing operation. Receiving individual sample results soon after the samples are taken will help establishments in their assessment of whether their harvest dressing procedures are adequate for pathogen reduction.

FSIS will also plan to more quickly have the serotype of Salmonella found in positive samples determined in order to notify the establishment and monitor and investigate illness outbreaks in coordination with federal, state and local public health agencies. These results also could provide useful information about trends in the presence of serotypes of Salmonella in order to prevent outbreaks.

To view the notice or to make comments on the notice (due before May 30), visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations%5F%26%5Fpolicies/2006%5Fnotices%5Findex/.

Angus to Air on ‘The Cattle Show’

The Angus episode of The Cattle Show’s “Bulls, Bulls, Bulls” series will re-air on RFD-TV 10 p.m. CST, Sunday, Feb. 26. From genetics to marketability, feeder cattle to replacement females, this episode of The Cattle Show covers all the advantages of Angus bulls.

Filmed on location in Garden City, Kan.; Millersville, Mo.; and Van Horn, Texas, three different commercial cattlemen share their experiences and success using Angus bulls.

“The Cattle Show offers cattlemen a tremendous opportunity to not only hear about Angus bulls, but to see the results,” says Sara Moyer, American Angus Association director of member and industry communications. “The cattle and the testimonials of these three producers send a powerful message about the advantages of Angus cattle.”

The complete show is available on DVD by contacting the American Angus Association.

Midwest’s Warm Mid-Winter Temps Could Play Havoc

With temperatures jumping from 50°-60° F one week to single digits the next, woody plants face possible freezing injuries from being de-acclimated to cold in midwinter.

Missouri had its second-warmest January on record this year — temperatures averaged just over 40°. Then, bitter cold followed in mid-February.

The warmer temperatures can cause plants to de-acclimate to the cold and begin leaving a protective dormant state, said Chris Starbuck, a University of Missouri (UM) associate professor of plant sciences. Woody plants react as though it were spring, in some cases opening buds. Then when a hard freeze comes, the plants are more vulnerable to damage.

“Warm periods in winter commonly cause woody plants to become less cold tolerant, to de-acclimate, even though growth is not apparent,” Starbuck said.

Plants can acclimate again, but it takes time. Moderately cold temperatures in early February may have done the trick for plants in many Missouri areas, causing them to re-acclimate before the more severe cold that followed. And, it’s possible the warmer temperatures earlier this winter didn’t last long enough to de-acclimate plants.

“If it’s just a quick spike in temperature, that usually doesn’t have quite as bad of an effect,” Starbuck said. “In quick checks of magnolias and some roses following the February cold snap, I haven’t seen evidence of damage. There may be evidence of it later, but hopefully we dodged the bullet.”

Starbuck said there is little that can be done to protect de-acclimated plants against sudden cold. When it comes time to prune woody plants, Starbuck said to inspect for freezing damage. For many plants, a general rule is to prune branches back to above the second healthy buds to ensure all freeze-damaged portions are removed.

Pat Guinan, climatologist in the MU Commercial Agriculture program, said a warm January is not a predictor of February and March temperatures. The only recorded January warmer than this year was in 1933, and it was followed by a frigid February.

“The following February there were several days in the second week of the month that the temperature dropped below zero,” Guinan said.

Guinan said there is a potential for freezing weather in Missouri well into spring.

“Last year we had frost in early May,” he said.