Food Safety

Inspection of Domestic and Imported Meat Should Be Risk-Based Gao ID: T-RCED-93-10 February 18, 1993

During the past 15 years, the U.S. system for inspecting domestic and imported beef has changed little. Inspectors still rely on sight, smell, and feel when inspecting meat--a method that may not protect the public from harmful bacteria. Contaminated beef recently caused extensive illness and two deaths in several western states, once again raising concerns about inadequate U.S. inspection. In the wake of a GAO report on Canadian meat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian government have improved their inspection procedures and better documented that the Canadian inspection system is equivalent to that of the U.S. That system, however, suffers from the same shortcomings as does the U.S. system--the need for fundamental improvement to protect against the greatest food safety risks. USDA needs to weigh the benefits and the risks of inspection by sight, smell, and feel. This method of inspection is extremely labor-intensive and drains resources that could be put to better use. In addition, no matter how many USDA inspectors are assigned to the slaughter line, pathogenic bacteria often avoid detection by sight, feel, or smell.



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