We all know that Dan Engeljohn, Assistant Administrator of FSIS’s Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD), told an industry conference that by the end of the year FSIS plans to propose that beef primals and sub-primals be subjected to the same testing as boneless trim.

Specifically, the information released by Engeljohn stressed testing for Salmonella that may make its way into ground beef, which it often does despite labeling, etc. What some may not realize is that Dr. Engeljohn sometimes speaks to what his wishes are and not necessarily those who hold higher offices, so only time will tell.

My guess is that industry will hold many meetings in the present and near future with Dan’s superiors discussing the serious repercussions that may evolve from such testing, the costs involved in testing and more interventions, the difficulty in determining which Salmonella species actually represent a risk to human health and the fact that the risk varies from plant to plant based on current interventions and line speeds.

One size does not fit all, and one regulation does not either. That fact was made abundantly clear to me last Tuesday when I met with the National Association of State Meat and Food Inspection Directors in Greensboro, N.C.

Running 310 carcassses down the line per hour constitutes a much greater risk of contamination than a custom slaughter plant under State Meat Inspection in small town USA. It is important for the agency to remember that. It is my guess that Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety Al Almanza will take a bigger, slower look at what is being proposed.

FSIS has already done some sampling of intact cuts of beef, and the results are simply scary.

Industry also has their own results of testing that they have always held close to their collective vests, and for good reason. I know why they are balking at the news coming out of OPPD.

Their data represent only the largest of plants; I don’t think anyone has knowledge of the pathogen load in our smallest plants.

The CDC has compiled results of Salmonella outbreaks from beef products from 1973-2011. There were 95 outbreaks with 3,643 illnesses in that time frame.

In the 70s and 80s, roast beef was the number one culprit but ground beef became number one in the 90s and starting in 2,000 showed a sharp rise in the numbers. We eat a lot of ground beef in this country; there is a lot of exposure.

Something needs to be done, but is testing of primals the magic bullet? I don’t think so for all the reasons already stated.

By the way, in that same time frame beef was the fourth most common cause of Salmonella outbreaks. What are we doing about numbers one, two and three?

And before anyone says it, again, these regs will not be written in some swanky penthouse on the 43^rd floor. One should see the cramped space Engeljohn works in before pontificating about the work environment of FSIS.

Where’s the beef (with Salmonella)

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