FSIS Sets Inspection and Testing Requirements for Brazilian Meats in Wake of Scandal
The Food Safety and Inspection Service announced strict reinspection and testing requirements for meat imported from Brazil, it said (here). The new requirements come amid allegations of bribes paid to Brazilian meat inspectors to allow the sale of expired meats, which has already resulted in bans on “at least some Brazilian meat imports” into Japan, Mexico, the European Union and China. “While none of the slaughter or processing facilities implicated in the Brazilian scandal have shipped meat products to the United States, FSIS immediately instituted additional pathogen testing of all shipments of raw beef and ready-to-eat products from Brazil upon hearing reports of the Brazilian investigation,” FSIS said.
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Beginning March 18, “FSIS instituted 100% point-of-entry re-inspection of all Brazilian beef imported into the United States, including conducting product examination on 100% of the lots. This re-inspection includes 100% testing of beef trimmings from Brazil for Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and non-O157 shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC). The 100% re-inspection also includes 100% testing of ready-to-eat products from Brazil for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. FSIS will take immediate action to refuse entry of product into the United States if there are findings of food safety concern,” it said. The requirements will remain in place “indefinitely,” FSIS said. The U.S. and Brazil reached an agreement to allow importation of Brazilian beef last yet (see 1608090040).
In Congress, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., on March 21 introduced a bill (here) that would suspend for 120 days imports of beef and poultry from Brazil. In a statement (here), Tester’s office said the ban will give the Agriculture Department time to comprehensively investigate food safety threats and determine the problematic Brazilian sources. Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in a March 22 letter (here) cited allegations of bribed food safety inspectors to approve tainted meat for sale and export, and called for USDA to take action on the matter.
In another March 22 letter (here) to Acting Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael Young, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., called for USDA to immediately suspend imports of all Brazilian meat until it can certify the health and safety of those products, noting six countries and the EU have taken action to prohibit Brazilian meat shipments. DeLauro also said USDA’s pledge this week to increase inspections in Brazilian meat are inadequate and shortsighted, because “Brazil is home to both the world’s largest meat producer and poultry exporter.”