Mar 14, 2013
Sequester may force USDA inspectors to take 11 furlough days this summer
If US sequestration cuts continue to hold, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) meat inspectors will all be forced to simultaneously take 11 furlough days off this summer, possibly shutting down the nation's meat industry those days, Food Safety News (FSN) reported today. In a hearing with the House Agriculture Subcommittee, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen, MD, said that the 11 furlough days, from July to Sep 20, will be for no more than 1 day a week and no more than 2 days per pay period. Because beef, poultry, and pork businesses can operate only when federal inspectors are present, however, this could mean an industry shutdown on those days, FSN reported. Hagen added that furlough days will be required of all 9,212 employees of the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), including 8,136 meat inspectors. FSIS will likely take a $52.8 million sequester cut, or 5% of its budget, she said.
Mar 14 FSN article
Contamination common with outdoor food venders in UK: report
The UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said in a new report that a substantial portion of food, water, chopping boards, cleaning cloths, and security wristbands sampled from mobile and outdoor food vendors were contaminated with a range of bacteria. During 7 months in 2010, researchers collected 1,662 samples from 153 events like concerts, festivals, and sports contests. Of 659 food samples, 53 (8%) were found to be of an "unsatisfactory quality," while 1% contained potentially hazardous levels of bacteria like Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens. Among 209 water samples, 56 (27%) had unacceptable levels of coliform bacteria. Of 585 environmental samples collected, 188 (32%) did not meet standards, including 60% of samples from chopping boards. In addition, 56% (97/156) of cleaning clothes housed bacterial levels 20 times the acceptable limits, and 18% (6/33) of wristbands worn by caterers were contaminated with Enterobacteriacae, E coli, or Staphylococcus species. Dr. Caroline Willis, an HPA microbiologist, said in an agency news release that public health officials have done much to improve food safety at such venues, but, "Staff need to ensure that both cooking standards and thorough hygiene are rigorously maintained to avoid the risk of people becoming unwell."
Mar 12 HPA report
Mar 13 HPA news release
