Text Box: USDA ANNOUNCES SCHOOL HACCP REQUIREMENTS        The recently updated Child Nutrition Act states that all School Food Authorities (SFA’s) participating in the National School Lunch Program need to implement a food safety program in the school year beginning July 1, 2005.  The program must include HACCP principles and meet the guidelines issued by the Department of Agriculture.  These programs must be in place no later than the end of the 2005/2006 school year.      HACCP is a scientific, systematic approach to food safety.  Oftentimes, foodservice managers hear the word HACCP and cringe.  This stems from fear of the unknown.  By understanding the basic concepts of a HACCP plan and how it can significantly reduce the risk of food-borne illness in your operation, we should see this new requirement as a sort-of blessing in disguise, instead of a hindrance.      When providing food for children, keep in mind that they are in the “high risk” group, along  with pregnant women and the elderly.  This means that for some, foodborne illness can be more serious and may be life-threatening.  By implementing a good HACCP plan in your organization, you are being pro-active instead of re-active.  You are trying to prevent a problem before it arises instead of reacting to a problem after the fact. Isn’t this the way things should be?!        For more information on HACCP in schools and retail, please contact  Geri Barone at 708-280-8092 or 773/821-1943   Or Contact Geri Barone at geri@professionalfoodsafety.com Thank You Text Box: “FDA SAFEGUARDS ARE SUFFICIENT” SAYS AMI GUEST EDITORIAL “MORE GOOD NEWS” FOR CONSUMERS, NOTES HODGES OCTOBER 06, 2005 On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration laid out an important proposal to strengthen our nation's BSE firewalls. Since bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) was first identified in the United Kingdom, the United States has responded to developments both outside and inside the United States with policies that carefully consider the risks presented and the additional protections that can be achieved for both animal and human health. The Food and Drug Administration is proposing to ban from the feed supply certain higher-risk cattle materials. Together with restrictions already in place that prohibit the feeding of ruminant protein to ruminants, this latest proposal would ensure that the United States maintains its position as a low-risk nation for BSE and a leader embracing scientifically sound policy. For consumers, this should be more good news. Under a now-16-month-old enhanced cattle surveillance program designed to detect BSE if it exists in the U.S. herd, only one case has been detected. That brings to two the total number of U.S. BSE cases in a nation with a 100-million- head herd — one of the world's largest. We are encouraged that the FDA, which considered a total ban on specified risk materials in animal feed, has evaluated carefully the science and the risk analyses, which show that such an extreme ban would offer virtually no additional margin of safety. It would create a huge environmental challenge involving the disposal of 1.4 billion pounds of materials annually. Given the very low BSE risk that has been empirically demonstrated by the enhanced surveillance and testing program, AMI is confident that banning from feed the brains and spinal cords from cattle 30 months or older and from animals of any age that do not pass federal inspection is the appropriate, science-based policy for the United States, Canada, Mexico and other low-risk countries. —James H. Hodges is president of the American Meat Institute Foundation in Washington. Text Box: PUSHING TO MAKE THE A-LIST: CHINESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE WORKING TO ALTER THE ATTITUDES OF RESTAURANT OWNERS AND PATRONS REGARDING FOOD SAFETY The L.A. Times David Pierson Walnut Councilman Joaquin Lim was cited as saying he knows where to get the tastiest dim sum and the freshest fried noodles and that he is so inept behind the stove that he tends to dine out seven days a week, mostly at Chinese restaurants. He avoids restaurants bearing a C grade from the county health department. Despite that precaution, Lim contracted a stomach bug a year and a half ago that he believes was caused by eating tainted food. The illness left him bedridden and 15 pounds lighter. When he recovered, he knew he had to do something about the cleanliness of Chinese restaurants, whether the problems were perceived or real. Lim was quoted as saying, "We're not going to put up with it anymore. I'm tired of C standing for Chinese restaurant." The story explains that Lim and a consortium of mostly Chinese American community leaders formed a group to try to change the way diners and restaurant owners view food safety. The Chinese Restaurant Health Standards Task Force was launched in hopes of educating the Chinese community about the county's seven-year-old letter-grading system and to bring restaurants closer in line with health codes so that more of them can display an A on their storefronts. Although there are no statistics that prove Chinese restaurants score lower grades at a rate greater than other restaurants, members of the task force and county officials point out that 80% of the restaurants in L.A. County carry an A, yet it is difficult to find an authentic Chinese eatery consistently in the top tier of health compliance. In launching the effort, Lim and his supporters recognize they face two major barriers. One is the apparent lack of concern among Chinese diners about letter grades, as witnessed by the B- and C-graded eateries that do brisk business. The second is the sometimes tense relationship between county food inspectors and restaurant owners, who have long complained that health codes are too strict and don't take into account age-old methods of cooking Chinese food. Joseph Lee, a task force member and president of the Chinese American Restaurant Assn, was quoted as saying, "A, B, C is about health, it's not about the taste of the food," when explaining why the grading system has not resonated in the Chinese community. Lim was further cited as saying his group hopes to determine whether laws are too strict or whether some Chinese cooking techniques are potentially hazardous. So far, the group has received coverage in the local Chinese media, which officials hope will help make the public more aware of the meaning of the health grades.

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