The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) has submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) asking that the agency require all slaughter establishments to create and implement written animal-handling plans to decrease the “needless suffering of animals during slaughter.” Citing more than 1,000 humane slaughter violations that allegedly occurred at state and federally inspected slaughter plants from 2007 through 2012, AWI calls on FSIS to write regulations that require (i) “all workers who have contact with animals be trained in humane handling,” (ii) “stunning equipment be routinely tested and maintained,” and (iii) “backup stunning devices be available in both the stunning and holding areas of every slaughter plant.” According to AWI, the agriculture department recommended eight years ago that all slaughter plants take a “systematic approach to humane slaughter by developing a comprehensive, written animal handling plan,” yet just 35 percent of federally inspected…
Category Archives Issue 486
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a proposal that would require beef products undergoing a mechanical tenderization process be labeled as such and include new cooking instructions to ensure proper handling. According to an agency spokesperson, “Ensuring that consumers have effective tools and information is important in helping them protect their families against foodborne illness.” Some cuts of beef are apparently pierced by needles or sharp blades to break up muscle fibers and increase tenderness. With the possible introduction of pathogens into the interior of such products, FSIS notes that they “may pose a greater threat to public health than intact beef products, if they are not cooked properly.” Public comments will be requested within 60 days of publication in the Federal Register. See FSIS News Release, June 6, 2013.
U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has re-introduced legislation (H.R. 2248) that would prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in all food and beverage containers. Titled the “Ban Poisonous Additives Act 2013,” the bill would “ban reusable food and beverage containers (e.g., thermoses) and other food containers (e.g., canned food and formula) that contain BPA from being sold or introduced into commerce.” “It’s time to take the worry out of feeding America’s kids by taking the BPA out of infant formula, canned goods, and other food and beverage containers,” said Markey, who has been working to remove BPA from food and beverage containers since 2008. “Parents, consumers, and doctors are all asking to get BPA out of our bodies. It’s time to ban this chemical and move to safer alternatives.” The proposed legislation would also (i) permit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue one-year waivers if a…
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