national trichinae herd certification program. importance to industry stigma for the pork industry...
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National Trichinae Herd National Trichinae Herd Certification ProgramCertification Program
Importance to industry• Stigma for the pork industry
• Stigma for the U.S.
• Establish national certification mechanism
• Modern practices have basically eliminated
Importance to FSIS
• First preharvest food safety (PHFS) program in U.S. history for a biological entity
• Based on implementation of Good Production Practices (HACCP-like foundation)
• Defines mechanism for subsequent PHFS programs
• Ensures the integrity of raw materials entering the plant
Where we are right now...• What has been done
– Risk factors identified
– Audit developed
– Certification mechanism defined
– Participants organized and committed
Where we are right now…
• What needs to be done
– Identify packers to participate in the pilot
– Test/refine process under varying real world conditions (via a pilot)
– Design the national certification program
– Implement administrative and regulatory changes necessary for the national program to begin, as pilot ends
Introduction• Trichinella spiralis - nematode of mammals
– Any meat-eater can become infected.
• Has long been a stigma for U.S. Pork both domestically and internationally. Consumers either overcook or avoid pork consumption in response to their fear of contracting “worms from pork”.
• In 1994, the most asked pork safety question by consumers to the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline was about trichinae in pork.
Prevalence of Trichinellosis in Humans
• Dramatically declining.
• 1943 - 16.1% of U.S. population (National Institute of Health) = 1 out of 6 people infected
• 1970 - 4.2%
• 1997 - 11 reported cases in the U.S.
• 1998 - 17 reported cases in the U.S.
• 1999 - 9 reported U.S. cases as of 12/24/99 MMWR
• Fewer than one-half of human cases are attributed to pork products.
Trichinellosis in Swine
• 1900 - 2.5% infection rate
• 1930’s - 0.95%
• 1952 - 0.63%
• 1953-62 - Enactment of garbage cooking laws.
– Aimed at vesicular exanthema and hog cholera.
Trichinellosis in Swine
• 1965 - 0.16%
• 1970 - 0.12%
• 1995 - 0.013% (NAHMS National Swine Survey)
• 8 U.S. plants approved to use pooled sample digestion under the AMS’s trichinae export testing program
– One plant has tested nearly 5 million carcasses without finding any infected carcasses
National Trichinae Certification Program
• NPPC
• USDA-ARS
• USDA-APHIS
• USDA-FSIS
• Allied Industry
• Many States
Pre-Harvest Certification
• Based on production of pigs under management practices which minimize the risk of exposure of pigs to Trichinella.
• Uses written records and third party auditing to document good production practices.
• Is supported by regular testing of certified animals to verify the absence of infection.
Requirements of a Pre-Harvest Certification Program
• Knowledge of risk factors for transmission of Trichinella to pigs.
• Management interventions which reduce or eliminate risk for exposure.
• An objective audit and other records sufficient to document risk-reduced management.
• Tools for monitoring absence of infection in a certified population.
• Administrative, record-keeping and reporting systems to support certification.
International Perspective
• E.U. spends over 550 million dollars each year to test carcasses for larvae of Trichinella.
• International Commission on Trichinellosis
– Addresses on-farm control of trichinae in the 1999 document, “Recommendations on Methods for the Control of Trichinella in Domestic and Wild Animals Intended for Human Consumption”.
• Lays out requirements for Trichinella free pig production.
• Indicated they will be monitoring the progress of our program and will probably adopt many of our procedures and documents.
Certification Process
• Accredited veterinarians, trained in trichinae GPP, work with producers to assure that trichinae infection risks are minimized on their farms.
– Education will be the forerunner of the program.
• Periodic audits, performed by trained herd veterinarians, document the absence of trichinae infection risks.
– APHIS decision and notification.
Certification Process (continued)
• Routinely, statistical samples will be tested (ELISA) at slaughter and to verify absence of infection and verify program integrity
• USDA:APHIS:VS Veterinarians conduct random spot-audits of certifications to ensure completeness and to build credibility among trade partners regarding the certification process.
Stakeholders• U.S. Pork Producers
• U.S. Pork Industry
• Swine Practitioners
• Packing Industry
• U.S. Government
• Domestic and International Consumers
Resolutions
• 1998 Pork Forum Resolution– Trichinae Free Pork– Resolution: That the United States pork industry take
aggressive steps to certify that U.S. pork products are trichinae free and communicate this to the domestic and international pork chain.
• LCI Food Safety Committee Resolution– Resolution: Be it resolved that the Livestock Conservation
Institute encourages APHIS, FSIS, ARS, AASP and the National Pork Producers Council to continue to develop and implement a risk-based certification program to establish herd trichinae-safe status. [Approved: 1994; Amended: 1999]
Trichinae Certification Benefits
• Allow the U.S. to better compete in the fresh pork international market.
• Cost of certification allows industry to address this issue.
– Certification = $0.21 - $0.60 average annual cost per pig (Testing ~ $0.83)*.
• Help to change the perceptions of pork our own domestic consumers hold.
• A model for pre-harvest food safety programs.
*Based on Cost Analysis of Trichinae-Free Program Alternatives (CEAH, 1998)
National Trichinae Certification Program Standards
• Provide documentation of swine management practices which minimize risk of exposure of swine to the zoonotic parasite Trichinella spiralis.
• Establish a set of criteria that enable producers to market swine which are not considered a risk to human health due to exposure to this parasite.
Web Site
• USDA APHIS VS homepage contains:
– Description of program
– Certification procedures explained
– List of certified herds
– List of Qualified veterinarians
– List of participating offices and personnel
What is FSIS’ role?
• Provide oversight of plant trichinae activities
– Testing levels.
– Tracking and segregation of animals and carcasses.
– Checking of herd certification records for incoming pigs.
What is FSIS’ role?
• In partnership with APHIS, ensure program integrity
– Coordinate and oversee in-plant statistical testing for verification of on-farm certification program.
– Verify integrity of the program to APHIS.
– Communicate positive animal results to APHIS for traceback.
– Recognize end product as trichinae safe based on APHIS certification and in-plant testing
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