4-24 news: Industry leaders testify before Congress on food safety
The number of processing plants in the very best category of performance continues to increase, said Dr. Elizabeth Krushinskie, speaking for the National Chicken Council. She said the steady improvement is demonstrated by data published by the Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under its Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety program.
The key to success, she said, has been the industry’s commitment to food safety. “The poultry industry has done a very good job at producing safe, wholesome, high quality foods,” Dr. Krushinskie said. “The industry is continually developing new interventions and related technologies, and refining its food safety systems, to enhance food safety. FSIS mandates HACCP plans and verifies compliance with the plans, but it is the plants that conduct hazard analyses and adopt and implement controls to address potential food safety hazards,” she noted.