I serve on the Board of Directors for the International Stockman’s Education Foundation. Each year we host the International Livestock Congress in conjunction with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We held our annual event last week with audience members from across the world.

One of the best parts of the event is the student participation and hosting of student fellows. It is always a privilege to watch the students engage and show their passion for the industry. As always, I am honored to mentor the next generation and watch them grow. We had a great program this year focused on nutrition, public education, antibiotic resistance issues and water use. I personally gained tremendous insights on the various topics from the speakers. I was especially intrigued by the discussions surrounding water use.

Water has been important to the meat industry for decades. It is foundational for success from farm to table, from ensuring that our livestock have enough drinking water to sanitation in the plant. Without water, we could not operate. Discussions at the conference focused on water stewardship for livestock in regions that face water shortages in the US and there were discussions around water collection and reuse in Costa Rica for their livestock production systems. Major domestic processors discussed their water stewardship programs. I was especially impressed with an operation in the US that fully recycles their water in the facility. While the initial investment was steep, the system pays for itself in less than 5 years. There is hope in this industry in terms of water use.

One thing that especially caught my attention was the focus on water and food safety. Of course, the data were given on how many gallons of water it takes to produce a pound of beef, pork, poultry, etc. Ensuring food safety is one of the biggest uses of water for meat and poultry production. This isn’t a new or surprising finding. We have to clean and sanitize the plant, and interventions and even chilling result in substantial water use. Over my career, I have been in 100s of facilities and water use varies tremendously. What occurred to me was that this isn’t really an issue that comes to the forefront when we discuss the development of new intervention technologies. Yes, some antimicrobial systems recycle water, but that actually can be detrimental in some causing cross contamination if not carefully monitored. Can we do better? Should we do better? I say yes, but how do we go about that? Personally, I will start considering this when making recommendations and developing technologies for food safety.

Another thing that was of big concern was the regulatory aspect of water use. Water has always been important at the agency, but the primary issue I remember addressing was “water added” into products and labelling issues. One would think that FSIS would have policies that encourage good water stewardship. In retrospect, I don’t ever remember discussing this specific topic when I was at the agency. I was surprised to learn the details of policies that actually require carcasses or cuts to be rewashed with potable water after water that has been reclaimed is used on the product in a facility. In defense of the agency, they did commission NACMF to study to report on recommendations on this topic so it is on the radar. It takes years to change things and so I feel certain that the outstanding staff at FSIS is working towards a better way to encourage good water stewardship. Right now, it poses a barrier.

I think it is important for water usage to be a consideration for industry, government and scientists as we move towards a safety food supply. Food safety should never be compromised, but we have to have open minds to consider new technologies, implement better policies, and to develop mitigation strategies that focus on conserving this important resource. I’m grateful to the team of experts who spoke at ILC to enlighten us on the needs and the possibilities that are in the future.

Don't throw out food safety with the bath water

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