RETAILERS LAUD USDA MEAT INSPECTION PLAN

AMY I. STICKEL / Additional reporting: PAMELA BLAMEY / JOANNA RAMEY

Retailers last week generally applauded the announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will overhaul meat and poultry inspection processes. They said that while the industry has already taken major strides to ensure safety, these new measures will be worthwhile if they build customer confidence. However, some expressed reservations about program costs and wondered if the testing would produce useful results.

President Clinton announced the new standards earlier this month, marking the first serious overhaul of meat and poultry inspections since the Federal Meat Inspection Act was passed in 1907. However, the new standards will not put an end to the government's random testing of ground beef at the store level in search of contaminated products. For almost two years, USDA has been testing ground beef at supermarkets on a random basis, for the presence of E. coli, a practice that industry officials have protested.

"Any move to elevate the confidence of consumers in the food supply is positive," said Paul Bernish, corporate director of public affairs for Kroger Co. in Cincinnati.

"We've always believed that the meat and poultry supply is safe, but more could be done," he said. Hannaford Bros., Scarborough, Maine, supported the initiative, according to spokeswoman Sue Pierter.

"It's the direction consumers want to go," she said. Ruth Kinsey, corporate communications manager for Harris Teeter, Charlotte, N.C., agreed. "I believe consumers will respond positively," she said. Kinsey said that media reports of food sickness from meat and poultry have heightened consumer concerns about safety. "I think consumers will see this as a step USDA needed to take," she said. Currently, federal inspectors judge the safety of meat and poultry by smelling it and looking it over. One part of the new regulations will require meat and poultry processing plants to implement Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points programs. HACCP programs are based on a preventive approach that stresses inspection of products at the points where they can easily be contaminated. The new HACCP requirement marks the first time that the onus of food safety has been placed on processors, rather than on government inspectors. The new regulations will also require all meat and poultry plants to have standard operating procedures for sanitation, require all plants that handle fresh meat and poultry to test for generic E-coli and require the government to test carcasses for salmonella, according to Sara Lilygren, a spokeswoman for the American Meat Institute, Arlington, Va.

Michael Read, director of public relations and government affairs for Boise, Idaho-based Albertson's, said he did not expect the regulation to have any effect at the retail level, at least in the near term. "Albertson's already has an HACCP-based training program in place, and we've had it for a while," he said. "We train all our own employees." The effect will be felt more at the supplier and wholesaler level, he said. "That's certainly true in our case, because we already have some very good training programs in place," Read said. Scott Ruth, meat director for Big Y Foods in Springfield, Mass., said he thinks USDA is generally moving in the right direction. "I think it's important to emphasize food safety and consumers should feel confident in products they buy, and this is a good step in that direction," he said. But Ruth said he is concerned about increased costs for the new regulations, costs that will be passed on to the consumer. He also expressed concern about the types of tests and methodology that USDA will employ. "But I do have some reservations on some of these issues, concerning the accuracy of the tests, what kind of results are going to be generated, what kind of time frame we can get answers on for these tests, for results that traditionally haven't been very good," he said.

Expressing his faith in the industry's current level of sanitation practices, Charles Collings, president and chief executive officer of Raley's in West Sacramento, Calif., called the announcement election-year politicking. "I think this is one more electioneering ploy by our President," he said. Like several other retailers, Collings said his chain already has sanitation programs in place at the warehouse and store level. "That's not done at the packing level, but it's not been a major concern for us," he said. Raley's takes food safety seriously, employing an outside laboratory to test pesticide levels on its produce, among other programs, he said. "From our standpoint, we let consumers know about our testing programs," he said. Collings said he believes that many low-level illnesses are actually food poisoning. "There is no doubt in my mind about that," he said. On a practical level, Collings said, he was unsure how USDA would monitor the intricacies of safety practices at giant meat and poultry plants beyond a general level.

"Speaking from years in the meat packing industry, I can't visualize how they're going to do this at a high-level processing plant," he said. "Good sanitary practices are about the only thing you can monitor at those places. And I think the Department of Agriculture has generally done a good job at that, despite the occasional '20/20' expose," he said. Bernish said many of Kroger's suppliers have already implemented HACCP programs. "In many respects, this is really something that's been under way for some time," he said. A spokeswoman for the Food Marketing Institute, Washington, said, "The new rules place the scientific-based testing further upstream, where it belongs.

"It will make sure the product at the store level is as safe and wholesome as possible. On the other hand, [stores] will continue to emphasize the importance of cooking meat thoroughly and handling it properly to ensure the safest possible product."

Tom Wenning, general counsel of the National Grocers Association, Reston, Va., said the combination of the supermarkets' use of the practices found under the federal Food Code (which brings HACCP principles to supermarkets) and the new HACCP inspection regulations at the producer level will work well together to ward off bacterial contamination.

The American Meat Institute is pleased with the HACPP requirement, said Lilygren. AMI has petitioned for mandatory HACCP programs since 1994. According to the American Meat Institute, 66% of its members already have written HACCP plans. "Our experience tells us that HACCP implemented in every meat and poultry plant in the country will be positive for the industry and positive for the consumer," said J. Patrick Boyle, president of AMI.