Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection 2014

 Limitations of Current Inspection Systems Under Existing Regulations and Need for Improvement Traditional inspection

    

The existing poultry slaughter inspection systems were designed before FSIS issued its HACCP regulations and began targeting its resources to address public health risks associated with foodborne pathogens. The existing systems were developed when visually detectable animal diseases were more prevalent and considered to be more of a concern than they are today. The line speed limits prescribed in SIS, NELS, and NTIS reflect the Agency's previous focus on the detection of visible defects and animal diseases and do not give establishments the flexibility to develop new technologies that would allow for a more efficient approach to address these conditions. For example, while FSIS inspectors are required to inspect and condemn carcasses for visual defects at one point in the slaughter process, poultry slaughter establishments could be given more flexibility to develop procedures to identify and condemn unacceptable carcasses and parts earlier and at various points in the slaughter and production process. An inspection system that provides flexibility for establishments to detect and remove visible defects and animal at point in the process before the carcasses are presented to the FSIS inspector would permit establishments to operate at faster line speeds if they are able to maintain process control.

    Another limitation with SIS, NELS, and NTIS is that they focus substantial FSIS inspection resources on detecting visible trim and dressing defects that are less important to food safety, particularly in light of what is now known about the role microbial contamination plays in causing foodborne human illness. These inspection models need to be updated in light of the significant advances that have been made in the control or eradication of many animal diseases that were more prevalent and were considered to present a greater concern when the existing inspection systems were designed, particularly in generally healthy classes of animals such as young chickens.

    Moreover, the analysis in the risk assessment conducted by FSIS suggests a significant correlation between increased unscheduled offline inspection services and lower levels of Salmonella and Campylobacter in young chicken and turkey slaughter establishments.

This analysis indicates that reallocating inspection resources currently dedicated to online inspection under the existing inspection systems to offline, food safety related inspection activities, such as increased HACCP verification, sanitation SOP verification, pathogen sampling, and Food Safety Assessments, could potentially reduce pathogen levels. Additionally, FSIS could devote more resources to inspection activities that focus on the areas of greatest risk in the poultry production system if establishments were required to assume greater responsibility for monitoring compliance with trim and dressing performance standards.

Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulatory-compliance/haccp/haccp-based-inspection-models-project/himp-study-plans-resources/poultry-slaughter-inspection