U.S. researchers have reportedly discovered methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in retail pork samples “at a higher rate than previously identified,” raising questions about the organism’s “overall ecology and transmission” in the food supply. Ashley O’Brien, et al., “MRSA in Conventional and Alternative Retail Pork Products,” PLoS One, January 2012. Conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the University of Iowa College of Public Health, the study examined 395 fresh pork cuts collected from 36 stores in Iowa, Minnesota and New Jersey, in addition to comparing products “from conventionally-raised swine and swine raised without antibiotics.” According to the analysis, researchers isolated S. aureus in 256 pork samples (64.8 percent) and MRSA in 26 samples (6.6 percent) but discovered “no significant difference” in prevalence between conventional and alternative pork products. The study notes, however, that 26.9 percent of MRSA isolates were a “livestock-associated” strain known as ST398 (t034, t011) as…
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A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court has determined that the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and its regulations preempt a California law that required swine slaughterhouses to humanely euthanize nonambulatory animals and prohibited them from processing, butchering or selling the meat or products of nonambulatory animals for human consumption. Nat’l Meat Ass’n v. Harris, No. 10-224 (U.S., decided January 23, 2012). Details about the Ninth Circuit’s decision, which the Court reversed, appear in Issue 344 of this Update. Writing for the Court, Justice Elena Kagan stated that the FMIA includes an express preemption clause which “sweeps widely—and in so doing, blocks the applications of [the California law] challenged here. The clause prevents a State from imposing any additional or different even if nonconflicting—requirements that fall within the scope of the Act and concern a slaughterhouse’s facilities or operations. And at every turn [the California law] imposes additional or different requirements on…
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has issued a ruling against the United States in a dispute with Mexico and Canada over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations for beef and pork products. According to the November 18, 2011, panel report, Canada and Mexico filed complaints arguing that U.S. COOL regulations enacted in 2008 afford “imported livestock treatment less favorable than that accorded to like domestic livestock.” In addition to labeling requirements, the regulations evidently required the segregation of imported livestock before processing, as well as ear tags certifying that the cattle are free of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Although the WTO panel reportedly affirmed the right of the United States to enact COOL regulations, it found that the specific requirements provided less favorable treatment to Canadian and Mexican livestock. “Additionally, the panel determined that the U.S. COOL requirements fail to fulfill their consumer information objective because the information included on the labels…
According to a news source, Chinese officials have arrested about 2,000 people and shut down almost 5,000 food production facilities since April 2011, in an effort to stop the industry’s use of illegal food additives. The initiative apparently followed scandals involving pork so full of bacteria that it allegedly glowed in the dark and milk laced with melamine that led to the deaths of least six infants and sickened more than 300,000 in 2008. The Chinese government claims that nearly 6 million food businesses have been inspected and “underground” food production and storage sites destroyed. See Agence France Presse, August 4, 2011.
A Minnesota appeals court has reportedly decided a dispute over workers’ compensation deductibles in favor of a pork processing company’s insurance carrier in litigation arising from injuries to employees exposed to the mist from pig brain tissue. Quality Pork Processors Inc. is apparently considering whether to appeal the ruling to the state supreme court. According to counsel for the company, the matter involves a contractual dispute and has no effect on benefit payments to those infected while working on or near the line called the “head table.” They apparently used compressed air to remove pigs’ brains and were diagnosed with an unusual neurological disease that causes symptoms including weakness, fatigue, confusion, and seizures. The pork processor contends that the contract language addressing how deductibles were calculated is ambiguous and disagreed that each accident should be decided separately. See The Austin Daily Herald, April 14, 2011.
The U.K. pork industry has reportedly staged a protest at Whitehall, claiming that retailer price cuts and increased feed costs have driven the sector “to the brink of collapse.” Backed by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s British Pig Executive (BPEX) and the National Pig Association (NPA), the “Pigs Are Still Worth It” campaign has criticized supermarkets for reaping “record profits” while domestic feed prices have soared 30 percent, cutting into producer margins. “We need retailers to remind their buyers of the importance of supporting British pigmeat production with its high welfare and quality assurance standards,” stated NPA Chair Stewart Houston in an open letter, which highlighted a similar crisis in 2007 and 2008. In addition to meeting with government representatives, the groups have circulated a petition asking retailers “to pay pig producers a fair price—before it’s too late.” They have also reportedly urged consumers to avoid some large grocery chains…
German officials have launched an investigation into an animal feed supplier that allegedly distributed a dioxin-tainted additive to 25 feed manufacturers, who in turn sold products to hundreds of poultry, pork and egg farms in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. According to media sources, Uetersen-based Harles & Jentzsch GmbH made its additive from mixed fatty acids approved only for industrial use and obtained from a biodiesel company. The Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) has since reported that some additive samples contained 77 times the approved limit for dioxin, an industrial byproduct allegedly linked to cancer, although the agency has not received any health notifications related to consumer products. The revelation has drawn international attention, with South Korea and Slovakia blocking German pork and poultry imports after 136,000 tainted eggs were sold to the Netherlands. As a precaution, BMELV has apparently halted sales at…
The United States has reportedly decided not to file an appeal from a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that its ban on Chinese poultry imports, imposed in 2004 upon fears of an avian flu outbreak, was illegal. According to a news source, this ends the trade dispute. While the legislative ban expired within five years, under current U.S. law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cannot allow poultry imports unless the foreign country’s food safety procedures are deemed equivalent to those used in the United States. A 2009 appropriations bill included this provision despite lobbying by U.S. trade organizations against it. See FoodNavigator-USA.com, October 27, 2010. Meanwhile, WTO has apparently decided to open to the public the second hearing on a complaint filed by Canada and Mexico, challenging the U.S. promulgation of country-of-origin labeling for cattle and hog imports. The parties reportedly requested an open hearing, which will take place December…
The United Kingdom (UK) has introduced a new country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) code of practice for pork and pork products. Launched at a recent National Farmers Union conference, the voluntary code was drawn up by the Pig Meat Supply Chain Task Force representing processors, pig producers, retailers, and the food-service sector. “A year ago I said that I wanted to end the nonsense of unclear country-of-origin labeling on pig meat products,” Environment Secretary Hilary Benn was quoted as saying. “I expect all major retailers to sign up and join those who have already decided to end the confusion for shoppers. If they don’t, their customers should ask them why they’re not in favor of clear, honest labeling.” The code reportedly aims to ensure that processed products will clearly identify country of origin for pork ingredients. Companies adhering to the new code have committed to providing clearer information such as “Produced in the…
A recent study has reportedly confirmed that 21 meatpackers working at a Quality Pork Processors, Inc., facility contracted a neurological disorder after inhaling aerosolized pig proteins. Daniel H. Lachance, et al., “An outbreak of neurological autoimmunity with polyradiculoneuropathy in workers exposed to aerosolised porcine neural tissue: a descriptive study,” The Lancet Neurology, November 30, 2009. Researchers identified the proteins as the trigger for an autoimmune response involving debilitating pain, weakness and numbness in extremities. The authors also examined blood samples from 100 asymptomatic workers, finding that one-third had the same antibody response as those reporting neurological ailments. “The pattern of nerve involvement suggests vulnerability of nerve roots and terminals where the blood-nerve barrier is most permeable,” stated the study abstract, which did not offer an explanation for why some workers became ill while others appeared healthy. The study noted that subjects with the strongest antibody response were closest in proximity…
