Packers and processors are often targeted when beef safety issues surface. But we all know safety is not the responsibility of just one link in the beef production chain.
That’s why representatives of many U.S. packers and processors joined beef producers, retailers, foodservice operators and government officials to establish “best practices” to meet new guidelines for sampling, lotting and testing beef products — the “Guidance Document for Sampling and Lotting of Beef Products and Sample Analysis for Pathogens.”
The new guidance document is a resource for packers and processors looking for step-by-step procedures for sampling, lotting and analyzing beef and beef products for the presence of pathogens. The best practices will assist beef processing companies in implementing proven pathogen-testing programs as part of a multiple-hurdle food-safety system aimed at advancing beef safety.