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December is typically a very busy month so set aside some time in the first two weeks of January to plan for 2016.

Meat processors generate a lot of data during the monitoring of their CCPs and GMPs, associated with their HACCP programs, and this data could be better used by most meat processors to further support their HACCP plans.

I had an opportunity to eat my way through two of Western Europe’s most renowned meat-loving countries within the last couple of months, and I did it all without having to go through customs.

I have been asked quite a bit about food-safety training, for production employees and for quality assurance and other food-safety monitors.

n Aug. 20, 2015, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued Directive 10,010.2 to instruct inspection program personnel (IPP) on how to conduct STEC verification activities, other than sampling, for raw beef (including veal and not-ready-to eat beef).

If I were to ask, on a scale of one to 10, how often food safety is discussed in your organization, what would you say?

Slaughter, in general, has always been the elephant in the room. Everyone knows it happens, but they aren’t sure how it happens and don’t want to ask because they may not like what they find out.

Recently we received that dreaded call that a child had become ill with E.coli O157:H7 poisoning, and although they couldn’t say for sure, they believed over the past couple of weeks the child may have eaten one of our burgers.

Fall and winter are particularly busy times for many small meat processors who process venison.

A part of every trip I take for Independent Processor is the gamble that I can actually find the meat company in question, armed with my notoriously lousy sense of direction and a GPS that occasionally thinks I’ve driven off the road when I’m on an interstate.