US food watchdog concerned about NZ Meat Inspection Trials

US food watchdog concerned about New Zealand meat inspection trials

A consumer advocacy group in the United States (US) is calling for greater transparency on a meat inspection trial being conducted by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA).

The six-month-long trial is underway at the Affco Imlay meat plant in Whanganui.

Food and Water Watch (F&WW) has written to Elisabeth Hagen, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) undersecretary for food safety as well as five members of Congress asking them to investigate and ensure that any new meat inspection standards in New Zealand are equivalent to those in the US.

The industry publication, US Food Chemical News, reports that “In the past few weeks, F&WW says it has been informed that some important waivers have been granted in the plants conducting the trials, including the removal of the zero tolerance standards for faecal contamination on meat products, the letter states. Additionally, F&WW says it has heard that: the criteria for evaluating the trials are being routinely changed to ensure that the trials can be judged a success; there is a lack of training for company employees to conduct inspection functions; company managers are intimidating employees who resist attempts to circumvent food safety standards, and plant food safety records do not accurately reflect noncompliance with food safety regulations.”

“There is growing concern that these meat inspection trials could jeopardise our meat exports to the US,” says PSA National Secretary Richard Wagstaff.

“At a time when the US is strengthening its food safety regulations, New Zealand is doing the opposite – preparing to weaken the independence of government inspections,” says Richard Wagstaff.

In order to export to the U.S, production standards in New Zealand need to be deemed as robust as those set by the US Department of Agriculture.

“New Zealand exported over 400 million pounds of red meat to the US in 2009. In the same year lamb shipments from New Zealand accounted for over 22 percent or US$141 million worth of North America’s total lamb imports.

“We’re risking a heavy blow to our exports if our inspection standards are deemed to have fallen,” says Richard Wagstaff.

ENDS

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