AMI Urges FSIS to Revise Non-Intact Beef Risk Assessment Based Upon New Analysis

(American Meat Institute)

The American Meat Institute (AMI) today urged USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to revise the agency’s “Comparative Risk Assessment for Intact (Non-Tenderized) and Non-Intact (Tenderized) Beef, March 2002” in light of a new analysis of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to tenderized products.

In a letter to the agency, AMI said it had has conducted a review of available information regarding illness-related recalls linked to mechanically tenderized beef products. “From this review AMI has determined that all of the recalls due to outbreaks were related to the consumption of marinated or enhanced steak products,” said AMI Vice President of Food Safety and Inspection Services Scott Goltry.  AMI recently posted a new Fact Sheet about tenderized meat products and clarified that there are two types of tenderized products:  those that are blade tenderized only and that those that are  marinated  by needle injection or tumbling.   The fact sheet is available on MeatAMI.com by clicking here:  http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/56759

Marinated or enhancement solution-added products were not differentiated in the 2002 risk assessment. That is, the types of steak products that have caused illnesses have not been addressed in the agency’s risk assessment, Goltry noted.

 “It is an imperative that the process of manufacturing beef steaks be understood so that the risk assessment of mechanically tenderized beef steaks is meaningful and both benefits public health and provides useful information to the regulated industry,” Goltry said.   “Because the marinated or enhanced mechanically tenderized products are a small portion of the entire beef steak production volume, a more focused approach will more likely help the

agency and the industry as we collectively work to prevent illnesses associated with mechanically tenderized and marinated steak products.”

To view AMI’s comments, click here:  http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/56916

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