WASHINGTON (FNS) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has moved a step closer to putting a rapid microbial test into use at poultry, beef and pork processing plants.
e Espy said he couldn't forecast exactly when the test would be put to use, but that it would be placed into service as soon as possible.
Currently, USDA inspectors rely on visual inspections of an animal's carcass for fecal contamination of meat, a method that Espy has deemed inadequate. Outbreaks during the last year and a half of food-borne illnesses stemming from contaminated meat prompted Espy to push for implementation of a rapid detection test.
