February 21, 2003

Achievements in food safety outreach efforts to small and very small meat and poultry plants were made during fiscal year 2002, according to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The FSIS Small and Very Small Plant Outreach Program was designed to develop and provide technical guidance and assistance to meet the specific needs of small and very small meat, poultry and egg processing plants.

Small plants include all establishments with at least 10 but not more than 500employes, and very small plants include all establishments with fewer than 10 employees, or annual sales of less than $2.5 million.

"Consumers expect their food to be safe regardless of the size of the plant it came from, but small and very small plants may not have the same resources as large plants to improve food safety," said FSIS Administrator Garry L. McKee. "This program provides extra assistance to help them meet our food safety requirements."

During the fiscal year more than 30 courses targeting these segments of the industry were held across the country on hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) food safety systems. The courses were provided through cooperative education agreements with nine universities. The universities also developed educational materials based on targeted sanitation, pathogen reduction and HACCP needs.

In addition, FSIS signed cooperative agreements with the University of Puerto Rico to develop materials on egg training and sanitation standard operating procedures. Other program accomplishments were the development and distribution of pathogen reduction and HACCP guidance material in both English and Spanish. The material included records management manuals and other workshop manuals critical to ensuring food safety.

The small and very small plant outreach also extended to Native American populations. FSIS held five seminars that covered HACCP, identification of food-borne illnesses, the operations and production processes of lamb and beef jerky and safe food handling from farm to table.

To access the document on the outreach program, go to http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/Nis/Outreach/Docs/SVSP.htm.