ERS to conduct cost analysis of Pathogen Reduction Act

Recent estimates suggest that microbial pathogens cause 6.5-33 million cases of human illness and up to 9,000 deaths each year. The findings have made food safety a major White House policy priority and have led to the enactment of the Pathogen Reduction Act of 1996. The Act mandates that meat and poultry slaughter and ground meat processing plants must comply with Salmonella standards established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and adopt generic E. coli pathogen testing. The Act also requires all meat and poultry slaughter and processing plants to write, maintain, and comply with standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and implement and comply with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) quality control points.

The Economic Research Service (ERS) has the responsibility for providing economic research on the economics of food safety in the meat and poultry industries. ERS has agreed to conduct a cost analysis of the Pathogen Reduction Act to meat and poultry slaughter and processing manufacturing plant.

ERS will collect data to explore issues related to the costs and effectiveness of the Pathogen Reduction Act of 1996 and adoption and use of food safety equipment, methods, and sanitation practices. The data will also enhance ERS' ability to answer questions related to the costs of anticipated food safety regulatory changes and provide information on the strength and pervasiveness of the industry's commitment to food safety quality control. Without the data from the survey, policy makers are handicapped by a lack of detailed knowledge of the equipment, methods, and sanitation practices that plants employ to control pathogens in meat and poultry products.

The Economic Research Service, an agency of the USDA, provides economic analysis on efficiency, efficacy, and equity issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural development to improve public and private decision-making. http://www.ers.usda.gov/

Edited by Pam Ahlberg,
Managing Editor, Food Online